San Francisco producer Luttrell just released his unforgettable debut album ‘Into Clouds’ which finds a home on Anjunadeep. The album will take him on tour, and you can find details here. Eric Luttrell got his break into music with The M Machine, launching his solo project in 2016.
The deeply personal 10-track album ‘Into clouds’ is about “doing your best to recognise and appreciate the beauty – both in the good times and the bad” according to Luttrell. The album includes vastly emotive tracks, each seemingly representing a color.
Tracks 1-5
‘After All’ a whimsical and encapsulating track. Beginning with ethereal pads and vocal phrases, the song begins to sink me into the theme of the album. As the intro concludes, it builds into a beautiful soundscape, with compelling percussive elements surrounding the track and complementing it. With the song quieting down, bright plucks work in tandem with the pads, preparing me for what’s to come.
Following a very fitting intro, ‘Out of Me’ takes the torch as an already released single, familiarizing me with the theme of the album, and Luttrell’s sound. Chasing the familiar song, the mood setting, light, and whimsical ‘Still Dreaming’ takes center-stage treading lightly between the lines of dreamy and percussive tracks. The song is captivating, yet infectiously rhythmic.
‘Into Clouds,’ the fourth track on the album, comes in the form of another released single. Luttrell mentioned the track being a sort of a journey into the unknown, almost like an airplane in a storm. The track begins to reveal more about the album themes, as ‘Windowscene’ starts to play next. The pantone blue song has an eerie build-up, almost melancholic in a way. The mystery within the track didn’t strike me as suspenseful, rather comforting as lullaby plucks take away from the mystery emphasizing the birth of an idea. The track dives back into sharp and haunting pads, gracefully leading onto temperate strings.
Tracks 6-10
The sixth spot on the album goes to ‘Layover,’ a “feel good song meant to be played outdoors on a sunny day,” chased by ‘Quiet Even Dark.’ The deep red track hosts Luttrell’s own vocals, verbally telling a story. The track significantly highlights the dominant themes within the album by contrasting all previous tracks within its darkness. The bursting plucks, gentle vocal, and deep percussion, masterfully navigate the theme of darkness without hopelessness. The track seems to offer solace in its own sound, retaining feelings of moving forward, learning, and becoming stronger.
‘Haunted Jungle Cruise,’ the moss green track is surrounding by its spaciously haunting pads. The percussive elements shine through the track, with a deep groovy bass-line. The song offers a transition between the sound of ‘Quiet Even Dark’ to ‘May 25th.’ The mystical and beautiful track personifies the phase of moving forward from darkness as introspection happens. Taking a moment to reflect on all that happened, accepting imperfections, and understanding where it all came from. It’s a profound moment on the album as the catharsis theme becomes abundantly clear. The track kicks off with vocal chops and off-beat plucks, melding with the kick giving off a swaying movement. The tune elicits the image of a flower for me, shriveled up at first, but then manages to bloom into a marigold flower.
The last song ‘Outro,’ seems to be the calm after the storm. The deep, submerging piano combines with a breathtaking soundscape to freeze a moment in time and space, allowing solitude and reflection without self judgement. The track almost feels meditative as the catharsis fades away, and all that’s left is harmony. Pure existence.
Result
On January 26, I watched Luttrell perform a set at Newspeak Montreal. When the lights turned on, the club remained packed with people singing and clapping along to the music. People were joyously dancing, as ‘Into Clouds’ mesmerized them.
“I want listeners to make this album their own and attribute their personal experiences and feelings to the music.” -Luttrell
