English baroque-pop band Tugboat Captain made good use of the facilities of their own "Ctrl P" studio, run by singer Sox and bassist Joshua Cobb for their new album All At Once, allowing the band to put layer upon layers and letting textures take centre stage when they felt the song needed it. The tracks were recorded in two weeks, in a flurry of activity and creativity that saved the songs from becoming too smooth and polished.
The main themes are about being lost and overwhelmed, cast adrift in a sea of both opportunities and uncertainties. Heartbreak is of course part of the equation, but the lyrics dig deeper, about going down the rabbit hole and stumbling around in the dark, echoed in the shifting time signatures that are used within a song. All At Once isn't a downer album however, but a journey through an emotional minefield. Tread lightly and something new that one might have missed at the first listen will come to the fore to wonder about. Who knew that singing along to You Know I'm Really's killer line "maybe I'm really fucked up now" could be so much fun.
