“Years of days in an hour of music…” Recorded back in 2020 by producer Charlie Bierman and singer-songwriter, Isha Campbell at the legendary Rockfield Studios, The Degrees’ debut album The Day Out Of Time finally sees the light of day on Fallen Tree 1Hundred, after a year of lead-in singles nicely supported on BBC Radio, Mi-Soul and playlisted on the legendary Jazz FM. The album delivers 12 slices of soul and trip-hop with a distinct Bristolian edge that despite feeling very of the now, has a subtle vintage feel overall. 90s culture raises its hand throughout thanks to sound-system-tinged soul jams like Need You and Nothing Else spread between the sweeping, cinematic ballads of Blinded and No Escape – these two are, in particular, ghostly-reminiscent of a Massive Attack classic, or string-driven Portishead epic. The Day Out Of Time aims to provide an authentic ‘artist album listening experience that, if we’re honest, is generally gone in today’s playlist-driven streaming world, the music alone stands up here and The Degrees’ debut has all the hallmarks of a future classic. It’s one for the record collection to sit it next to the likes of Blue Lines and Smokers Delight.
