Elusive London trio Ebbb step boldly from the shadows to announce the release of their debut EP ‘All At Once’, out on Ninja Tune. Alongside the news, the band have also released their first official music in the form of double single ‘Himmel’ / ‘Swarm’.
The five-track EP marks the band's first output for new label Ninja Tune — home to trailblazing artists like Young Fathers; Black Country, New Road; and yeule — a fitting platform for their genre-eschewing sound.
Without releasing a single song, the band — comprised of producer Lev Ceylan, vocalist Will Rowland and drummer Scott MacDonald — have built a storied mythology on London’s underground live circuit which spawned the likes of Squid and black midi. Commanding an atmosphere at gigs that So Young Magazine has described as "an almost religious experience", the melding of Ceylan’s engulfing and enthralling production and beats, with Rowland’s endlessly capable vocals, along with MacDonald's added stomp, quickly resulted in the band being one of 2023’s word of mouth live sensations.
Despite being together for barely a year, the band have already landed on something truly singular. Fusing pulsing rhythms, immersive electronic production, sparkling melodies, layered vocal harmonies and beats that veer from ambient to industrial, the result is an idiosyncratic hybrid of sounds. One that the group describes as “Brian Wilson meets Death Grips.”
The EP's singles 'Himmel' and 'Swarm' are an invitation to explore the contradicting forces which have driven their remarkable rise.
“I like that it can't be pigeonholed,” says Lev Ceylan, speaking of the forthcoming EP. “We really do love plot twists – where it just explodes into something completely different.”
Opening track 'Himmel' is a song that builds from an ethereal soundscape before a pneumatic, drill-like beat enters; Rowland's voice glides with grace over the grinding rhythm. "That song encapsulates the two sides of the sound we have quite well," says Rowland. "Having the more ethereal, dreamy vocals but with that undercurrent of the low rumblings. It's kind of like heaven and hell." These layered elements are a meta depiction of Ebbb's singular songwriting process in real time. ‘Swarm’ unfolds in an almost hypnotic groove with Rowland’s voice carrying the track with poise, before it once again takes on an unpredictable journey, resulting in a joyous burst of experimental pop music.