Hardly A Day, Hardly A Night
When Amsterdam’s Cubicolor recruited Duologue’s Tim Digby-Bell to sing on their 2015 single “Falling,” something clicked. The UK singer’s vulnerable voice proved the perfect fit for the Dutch duo’s bittersweet deep house, which until then had been all instrumental. On the following year’s *Brainsugar*, he came on board as a full-time vocalist, providing a melodic focal point for the group’s swirling layers of synths, piano, and muted guitars. He\'s even more integral on *Hardly a Day, Hardly a Night*: On “Wake Me Up,” his toplines take graceful piano harmonies somewhere entirely unexpected, and on “Now You Know,” hip-hop drums, sharper than usual for the group, carve out extra space for him to paint a stark picture of waning love. He can also be a spectral presence, even at the music’s center, fading like rays of afternoon sunlight as he disappears into vocoder and other effects. As a unit, Cubicolor has never sounded quite so diverse, taking in house, garage, indie pop, and even neoclassical ballads. The thread connecting it all? Its deep, abiding melancholy, perfectly expressed in Digby-Bell’s softly aching falsetto.
Tim Digby-Bell, Peter Kriek and Ariaan Olieroock are Cubicolor. In the wake of acclaimed singles ‘Points Beyond’, ‘Wake Me Up’ and ‘Melodies’ the innovative trio finally share their much anticipated second artist album ‘Hardly A Day, Hardly A Night’. In 2016 they released their debut album ‘Brainsugar’ via acclaimed independent label Anjunadeep. Accumulating over 40 million streams, the album won praise from Mixmag, Resident Advisor, Consequence of Sound and DJ Mag, who described it as “a startlingly accomplished debut” in their 9/10 review. Originally an electronic duo comprised of Dutch producers Ariaan and Peter, Cubicolor became a three-piece band with the arrival of British singer-songwriter Tim in 2015, after collaborating on breakthrough single ‘Falling’. A published poet and playwright, Tim’s musical upbringing was rooted in playing guitar and listening to Nick Drake. Combined with Ariaan’s encyclopedic knowledge of electronic music and Peter’s love of late romantic classical, they created what Clash described as “a beautiful, haunting fusion of ideas.” In 2018 the band delivered, and then shelved, their second album… “It had twelve tracks, a different name, all the artwork was done and a date was set for it to be released. We got home and listened to it, then called each other and decided to drop the whole thing. The next week we went back into the studio and started again. We loved the record we made but for some reason, it didn't feel right, so we didn't keep anything, we shut ourselves on the boat in Amsterdam where we work and didn't stop until we'd written a new album.” A year after going back to the drawing board, the trio now presents ‘Hardly A Day, Hardly A Night’. Inspired by the cycles of time, and the cyclical movements of the planets, the new 12 track record weaves together themes of loss, hope, and acceptance. “There were a lot of moments when we weren't sure we'd ever find what it was we were looking for. On the way, we lost friends, lost loves, battled health issues, lost an album, lost each other and came back together again. It feels like a lifetime has passed but the world keeps spinning and I guess we knew we would eventually find our strength and make the album we wanted to make.” Showcasing their remarkable production techniques and textured sound design throughout the album, Cubicolor continues their unconventional rise to the upper ranks of the electronic music world. “We're very excited to share our new record with you. We've put everything we had into making it. The second album is always the hardest for every artist. For us it was no different. We nearly broke up, lost loved ones, had significant health issues, but through all of that we are still here, stronger than ever. What tied us together then and now is that we love making music. We hope that passion shines through in the music! We'd like to thank everybody that supported us so far. Stay Cubi!” The band will be taking their live show around the world this summer, including converted festival slots at Montreal's Osheaga and Amsterdam’s Down The Rabbit Hole alongside a headline London show at The Garage.
“We got home and listened to it, then got on the phone with each other and decided to drop the whole thing.’’ Second album stutters are