Codes In The Clouds

Hailing from the town of Dartford, U.K., Codes in the Clouds were an instrumental post-rock band that aurally encompassed everything from the melancholic and introspective to the triumphant and ethereal. Formed in 2007, the group wrote and toured tirelessly, eventually signing to Erased Tapes Records, home of other innovative musicians such as Nils Frahm, Olafur Arnalds, and A Winged Victory for the Sullen. Made up of songwriters Ciaran Morahan, Stephen Peeling, Jack Major, Joe Power, and Pete Lambrou, the quintet opted to create instrumental music, stating "the listener can take what they want from it. There's no default reaction for people to have, no set paths for people's emotional response to run down." This no-limits approach to evoking emotion with layered and detailed soundscapes became apparent on their first single, "Distant Street Lights/Fractures," which received critical acclaim, most notably from BBC Radio One's Huw Stephens. The track was then featured as Single of the Week on webzine Drowned in Sound. After more relentless writing, recording, and touring, they delivered their debut release, Paper Canyon, in 2009. Composed of arpeggiated melodies, reverb-heavy chords, and rich, warm, enveloping textures, the release gained the band more exposure, further acclaim, and a wider fan base. Fresh off the success of Paper Canyon's release, the ensemble put out Paper Canyon Recycled in 2010, a collection of album remixes from labelmates such as Nils Frahm and Rival Consoles, among other acts such as Worriedaboutsatan, iambic, and Paul Mullen from the Automatic. The group swiftly followed this up with its second studio release, As the Spirit Wanes, in 2011, having recorded it in just six days. The release was yet another expansive and cinematic effort for the outfit, who described the end result as more reflective of what the members were going through in their personal lives at the time. The group followed the album's release with an international tour, including an appearance at the U.K. festival ArcTanGent. Codes in the Clouds spent the following years experimenting with side projects and began work on their third full-length album. ~ Rob Wacey