Fronted by Dutch-born singer and songwriter Michelle Hindriks, the band evolved into a duo in the studio with the addition of drummer Tim Spencer. CIEL's sound is both atmospheric and urgent-- heavy guitars, pulsing basslines, and driving rhythms providing the backdrop for Hindriks' haunting yet intimate vocals. Think of a sound that sits somewhere between the hazy allure of Slowdive, the urgency of Wolf Alice, and the brooding cool of The Cure-- ethereal yet punchy, nostalgic yet fresh, and leaving room for wonky sound experiments through the use of vintage synths and samples.

Visual art has as much a place in the world of CIEL too, where paintings and images can show you a different place and make you wonder about the environment, the characters, what is their story? Such as the work of Tilo Baumgartel; sometimes beautiful and strangely dreamlike, sometimes dark and nightmarish, but always mysterious.

Having toured extensively and gained strong support from platforms such as BBC Radio 6 Music (A- list rotation), BBC Radio 1, Clash, and DIY, the band continues to push their sound forward. After two EPs and having toured the EU with Blood Red Shoes, in December 2024, CIEL joined The Jesus and Mary Chain on their full UK tour, further cementing their place as one of Brighton's most exciting rising acts.

FFO: The Cure, Blonde Redhead, The Pixies, Slowdive

TRACK LISTING

Call Me Silent
Won't Obey
Thinking Of You
Hear Me Out
Will I Ever Feel Again
Stay Along
Sail On
Hold Onto You
Swallowing Your Pride
In Your Heart Again
Talking On The Phone
Cruel

Ambre Ciel is a composer, violinist, pianist and singer who hails from Montreal, Canada and is a purveyor of dreamy, expansive, spacious pop music that draws influence from the contemporary classical influenced artists such as Agnes Obel, Patrick Watson, Sufjan Stevens and Thom Yorke. As well as the impressionist world of Debussy and American minimalists such as Phillip Glass and Steve Reich and in addition mentions ‘music that breathes’ from such artists as Gyða Valtýsdóttir, JFDR, or the collaborative work of Jónsi and Alex Somers.

Ambre who sings in both her native French and English hails from a family of singers and artists, “I started my journey learning violin at six and began experimenting with pedal effects and looping melodies later on”. University followed with a focus on composition and recording. “That’s when I started exploring composing and songwriting more deeply—both the world of sounds in itself and songs built mostly with layers of violin and voice. It was also during this time that I returned to my ‘first’ instrument, the piano, which opened more harmonic possibilities.”

For Ambre, her debut album still, there is the sea, represents a beginning, a first and she says imperfect attempt to create this other world that was living in her mind. She has crafted a beautifully refined ‘pop album’ making a lot of space for strings arrangements and other acoustic instruments, as well as her own beautiful voice. “On a personal level, I was searching for silence. I had just finally moved to a quiet apartment in Montreal and for the first time, I had all the time and space to hear silence and create, being solitary and living in the intangible world of possibilities”.

The enigmatic title of the album, ‘still, there is the sea’, came to Ambre when she realised that water was a subconscious but recurring theme throughout the album in terms of melodies and lyrics: ‘eau miroir’ refers to how the water can be some kind of mirror, ‘cycle’ embodies a cyclical, perpetual movement, ‘atlantis’ refers to this inward looking quest and distancing from the world, ‘sometimes’ has sounds from rain and storm, and refers to a storm happening inside someone’s thoughts. The water element can be very thin, fragile, but it’s always in movement and can resemble a larger and massive current, expansive, and I wanted to move between instrumental and song with this fluidity and was interested in finding ways to create something that could still feel cohesive. It also reflects this entire season of solitude and silence, how to me creating music represents this access to an underworld closer to the realm of dreams, that can be deep, surreal, rich and very grounding too”.

While ‘still, there is the sea’ is very much Ambre’s own personal statement and artistic vision as a composer, arranger and producer, Pietro Amato, a member of Bell Orchestre and The Luyas and a french horn player for Patrick Watson and Arcade Fire, offered support and experience (and an extra pair of ears) as co-producer and Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy, Arcade Fire) gave assistance with the orchestral arrangements Ambre wrote for the FAMES Skopje Studio Orchestra conducted by Sasho Tatarchevski. And deeply sensitive musicians such as percussionist Stefan Schneider (Bell Orchestre, The Luyas), clarinettist Guillaume Bourque and a string trio made of Marilou Lepage, Sebastian Gonzalez Mora and Julien Siino all brought their unique voices to the record.

This then is ‘still, there is the sea’ the debut album from Canadian composer and singer Ambre Ciel, at once dreamy, spacious, self-contained, fragile, mysterious but open and honest and we’re delighted to share this gift with the world and invite you to join this wonderful artist on the first steps of her artistic journey.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Evocative, folky modern classical that falls comfortably in neither camps but slowly moves between worlds, bringing with it a draft of Ciel's haunting, beautifully pitched vocal. Wonderfully warm in parts, but painted with the mysterious chill of winter. A superbly transformative, gloriously enjoyable listen.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Sun, The Sky
2. Eau Miroir
3. Cycle
4. Atlantis
5. Dream / Mirage
6. Sometimes
7. Pièce No.8
8. Fragment Of

The opener "Invito Al Cielo" is all amp-moan and synth scratch, yet placid (in the storm-eye sense), featuring some inspired trumpet-Brut and more whispered scats from Kim. The shimmering vibes and sine-pulse of "Hungara Vivo" actually recalls the digi-mosaics of oh-so-au curant electronicsters like Microstoria, yet nonetheless was performed by the band in good ole real time and space. "Radio-Amatoroj" is another long-form spelunk into an audio architectonics of cathedralic proportion. More cymbal-spray and guitar-gong percussives, shifting textures ebb and fade in some kind of psycho-sensory algebra you don't even need to know how to solve.

"Hasta El Cielo" is Khruangbin's glorious dub version of their second album "Con Todo El Mundo". The full album has been processed anew along with two bonus dubs by renowned Jamaican producer Scientist. The band’s exotic, spacious, psychedelic funk aligns with the dub treatment particularly well. Indeed, keen fans won’t find this a surprising release. Dubs of tracks from their first album "The Universe Smiles Upon You" appeared on limited vinyl releases of "People Everywhere" for Record Store Day 2016 and "Zionsville" on the BoogieFuturo remix 12”. The especially eagle-eared will have caught a dub of "Two Fish And An Elephant" playing over the credits of the track’s celebrated video.

'For us, Dub has always felt like a prayer. Spacious, meditative, able to transport the listener to another realm. The first dub albums we listened to were records mixed by Scientist featuring the music of the Roots Radics. Laura Lee learned to play bass by listening to "Scientist Wins the World Cup". His unique mixing style, with the emphasis on space and texture, creates the feeling of frozen time; it was hugely influential to us as a band. To be able to work alongside Scientist, a legend in the history of dub, is an honor. This is our dub version of "Con Todo El Mundo.”' - Khruangbin

Formed of Laura Lee on bass, Mark Speer on guitar, and Donald “DJ” Johnson on drums; Khruangbin’s sounds are rooted in the deepest waters of music from around the world, infused with classic soul, dub and psychedelia. Their 2015 debut album ‘The Universe Smiles Upon You’ was heavily influenced by 60’s and 70’s Thai cassettes the band listened to on their long car journeys to rehearsal in the Texan countryside. 2018’s follow up ‘Con Todo El Mundo’, which received hugely positive critical reactions and radio play around the world, took inspiration not just from South East Asia but similarly underdiscovered funk and soul of the Mediterranean and the Middle East, particularly Iran. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Emily says: Khruangbin’s deep, meditative grooves enjoy a generous helping of delay and spring reverb, with two bonus tracks mixed by none other than dub legend Scientist. This time the meandering guitar lines shimmer in the background while the bass and drums take centre stage. Sure to expand the corners of your mind and warm the chambers of your heart.

TRACK LISTING

LP
A1. With All The World
A2. Sisters & Brothers
A3. Mary Always
A4. Four Of Five
A5. How I Love
A6. Sunny’s Vision
B1. A La Sala
B2. The Red Book
B3. Order Of Operations
B4. Hasta El Cielo

7"
A1. Rules - Scientist Dub
B1. Cómo Te Quiero - Scientist Du