Insight Review: Bucky, ‘True Colours LP’

Bucky’s brand new LP ‘True Colours’ is set to release tomorrow – and it’s an absolute gem…

South London’s Bucky is one of the most productive, consistently excellent musicians in the underground electronic music scene at present. Through release after painstaking release (check out earlier albums ‘You Gotta Go There To Come Back‘, ‘Red Skies‘ and ‘Embers‘), he has built a loyal following of diehard fans who have stuck with him for many years and will continue to do so long into the future (myself included). And with the release of ‘True Colours LP’, it’s not hard to see why. This is a gorgeous collection of tracks, a testament to the emotive power of electronic music to strike at the heart of the full range of human experience. Loss, sadness, tragedy, joy, excitement, beauty, serenity, friendship, energy and, ultimately, love and raw experience are all flowing through the core of this album. Via his unique blend of powerful electronic soundscapes, razor-sharp rhythms, driving bass, thoughtful samples, gorgeous vocals and a range of acoustic instruments (all expertly arranged and played), Bucky presents arguably his most personal, melodic, beautiful and satisfying musical experience to date.

Bucky says: “I basically wanted to make something that told a bit of a story of my predicament this last year. The highs and lows and the big decisions I needed to make in my life. But i’d like to think that it might harmonise with other people who are going through difficult times as well privately on their own individual journeys, even if it’s just one or two tunes. I also wanted to do an album giving it the full beans and totally my own sound. I don’t really consider myself a ‘Future Garage’ producer really, more just a producer and my sound is vibe oriented, piano, vocals and beats and I feel like I have done that maybe more so than my other albums, hence why I called this one ‘True Colours'”.

It’s hard to pick a favourite track as they are all so utterly compelling, but if I had to choose just one it would be Bucky’s dedication to his friend and fellow producer (and the photographer behind the LP’s highly evocative cover image) Vacant (available as a preview track here). This track is utterly breathtaking in its beauty and the power of its arrangement (and I love the idea of naming tracks after friends and musicians you admire). This is not to detract from the other magnificent tracks on this album, all of which are standout tracks in their own right.

Anyway, don’t just take my word for it – check it out for yourself as soon as it drops. You can thank me later…;-)

‘True Colours LP’ will be released here and here on 25th January 2019 (you can pre-order the album, digitally or on CD, on Bucky’s Bandcamp page). You can also hear preview tracks from the album here and here. An exclusive full-album mix of ‘True Colours LP’, expertly mixed by Russian producer L own, will be available on The Games We Play from tomorrow.