Presence - A Review

ALBUM - Presence by Petit Biscuit

Hello my lovely readers! It’s another album review today, but from a completely different genre, so if grungy stompy music wasn’t your thing, perhaps Petit Biscuit will be more up your street. Yes, today’s review is of Petit Biscuit’s debut album Presence. Now I will admit before I even begin that I am relatively new to this genre of music and don’t know all the different branches of techno and EDM. I’m aware that EDM and techno are not the same after having been severely judged by lots of my friends who know a great deal more than I do, but honestly that is as far as my limited knowledge goes. So I am intrigued to see where this review takes me and whether I can do this album justice. Wish me luck!

I have been in love with Petit Biscuit’s sound for well over a year now, I force practically everyone I meet to listen to my absolute favourite song Sunset Lover, and then of course judge them based on their opinion of the best song ever created. I have been keeping up to date with his music since I bought his 6-track EP last October, and having been so enthralled by his style of music, it was clear that I had big expectations for this album…

Track Listing:

1. Creation Comes Alive
2. Problems
3. Follow Me
4. Beam
5. Break Up
6. Gravitation
7. On the Road
8. Wake Up
9. Presence
10. Oceans
11. Waterfall
12. Sunset Lover
13. Forever Being
14. The End

Naturally at first glance I was already pleased that Sunset Lover had made it onto the album along with some other singles I knew well. But we will start from the beginning as is only proper (and so that the side of me that is just a little OCD doesn't have a freak out). Creation Comes Alive starts the album off beautifully, it is slow and eerie to begin with and you immediately know it is a Petit Biscuit song. One of the things I really like that Petit Biscuit does is incorporating staggered breathing into his songs. I know when I put it like that it must sound like the creepiest thing ever to all of a sudden have this ragged breathing interrupting a song. But trust me it works. Or perhaps I’m alone in the fact that I like it and maybe I’ll be put on some list for having said this. I don't know. The song then climbs and climbs getting better and better before mellowing out to a lovely sample from SONIA. I definitely wanted the song to keep going but it cuts off sharply, following into Problems. On first listen I really disliked Problems: it is exactly the type of music I don’t listen to and the reason I am so tired of going to clubs that play chart music. But as I have learnt from Wolf Alice, I knew I had to give the whole album a good listen, and Problems has definitely grown on me. It is probably still my low point of the album but this is simply because his other stuff is so so much better.

Follow Me actually sounds like one of those meditation tapes that gets played at yoga classes to begin with. As soon as the vocals kick in however, it immediately become something majestic and shows off Petit Biscuit’s pure talent and way with voices. The song keeps building and goes from strength to strength, and when what I can only describe as “the drop” kicked in, it quickly became one of my favourite songs of the album. Beam is certainly different and gives me a very country vibe from the use of the strings. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it initially, I did find the country feels very off-putting. But, honestly I found myself embracing it, as a melodic sample it amounts to something really exquisite. There are even some nods towards Sunset Lover in other parts of the melody which meant I immediately began to like it more!

Gravitation was the first new single from the album I heard. My friend introduced me to Møme who has a relatively similar style to Petit BIscuit. So when I saw that these two were doing a song together, I had nothing but great expectations. Gravitation, however, disappointed both me and my friend. I don’t find anything exciting in it and I am sad to say that I have found a Petit Biscuit song that I only want to skip. I really don’t like the addition of Isaac Delusion’s vocals, and the song as a whole is too wordy for me. The mixing behind the singing is as always up to standard, but it is lost behind the honestly annoying amount of lyrics. However, I will happily skip Gravitation to get to On the Road and Wake Up. These songs consolidate that it is purely my own personal taste of vocalists that means I dislike Gravitation so much. I have loved Bipolar Sunshine for years now: he was at Glastonbury the first time I went over 3 years ago. I love his voice and for it to be paired with Petit Biscuit on Wake Up amounts to 3 minutes of pure joy for me. It is the perfect start to my preferred side - the B side.  

I know I had a hat-trick of brilliance with my last review, but honestly I’m gonna have to do it again. Oceans, Waterfall and Sunset Lover are pure masterpieces and although I have my obvious favourite they are all the highlight of the album together. Oceans is a different version to the one I first listened to. At first I was apprehensive, as I had enjoyed the original hugely, but of course Petit Biscuit betters himself and now I have two versions of a song I love. Waterfall is again a very wordy song, but the singing pairs perfectly with the melody and the “beat drop” gives the song a whole other level, it is truly beautiful.

Since I decided to write this review, I have been trying to think of how I can possibly write a review of Sunset Lover without simply writing “the best song ever to grace this planet”. I’m sitting here listening to it and I am struggling to write anything, I have to stop what I’m doing and just focus on how good it is. This song has been the soundtrack to so many amazing moments in my life over the last year. I like to think that I’m good with words when I have to be, but when it comes to Petit Biscuit’s Sunset Lover I am stumped. No words come to mind and I am speechless. If you listen to no other songs from the album, I implore you to take 4 small minutes out of your day to listen to Sunset Lover, you won’t regret it. Unless you have no soul and then I’m sorry you are beyond anyone’s help.

Sunset Lover is a tough act to follow, but Forever Being does it well. Although I love it I do find myself waiting for it to finish so The End can come on. I am also immediately queasy when I hear the words “let’s get drunk” in a song - it screams 14 year old Pop. A good song, yes, but sandwiched between Sunset Lover and The End it pales in comparison. The only thing I wish for The End is that it lasted longer - the edited vocals in this song are some of my favourite from the album.

To summarise what I realise was a longer-than-expected review (sorry), Presence is an absolutely amazing album and the spectacular highs really do make up for any low points. I didn’t mention all songs, because the post was worryingly long for me. But this does give you even more reason to go and listen to the album for yourself. Any album with Sunset Lover on is going to be one of the best albums you’ve ever heard so go on and give it a listen. As always, I would love to know what you think of the album if you give it a listen so drop me a comment to let me know. Until next time!