It\’s almost as if we\’ve been waiting lifetimes for Adventure Club to release a full-length studio album. Friday, the Canadian duo finally released their debut LP RED // BLUE featuring a stunning 12 track strong selection of music that goes in all sorts of different directions. On the one hand, the album is chalked half full of Leighton and Christian\’s older, nostalgic tunes while delivering a handful of newer, playful, and more experimental tracks. And as listeners, we\’re sort of caught between worlds on this project…just as the title seems to imply.

Some of the more well known tracks on RED // BLUE have been released up to over a year ago, including \”Fade\” feat. Zac Waters, \”Limitless\” feat. Delaney Jane, and \”Crash 2.0\” (which the duo has been dropping in their sets for over two years). Joining this classic AC-sounding anthemic style are tracks \”Reaction\” feat. Leah Culver and \”Save Me\” feat. Adara & Terravita.

Now don\’t get me wrong: I love any classic AC anthem, with their beautiful, melodic build-ups, and dub-heavy drops. But this is a melodic direction that Illenium has pretty much piggybacked on, and taken it to new and different heights to advance the sub-genre in a way all his own.

Furthermore, to tease album tracks for over a year is certainly an uncharacteristic move for any artist, which may lead some to believe that the pair was unsure whether these tunes would become the sum total of a shorter EP or if they were just feeling the outside pressure to finally release new music.

The newer stuff is certainly what wets our musical pallets, because it\’s what actually signals the artistic evolution of the duo. That is, a step away from the harder edged, guitar laden melodic dubstep and toward a deeper and more ominous emotional melodic direction.

One track that makes the case for this is \”Breath\” feat. SONDAR, as well as \”Ghosts\” which seems to play with a heavy Flume bass line. The track that caps it all off almost makes a lyrical case for what Adventure Club may have been feeling under the surface of this project too: \”Everyone\’s talking about that new shit / I see their faces but they don\’t see me / Reminds me of some lost melody / Everyone\’s talking about that new feeling.\” Perhaps we\’re reading too much into it, but perhaps not.

Our favorite track off the LP is \”Without You\” feat. Hunter Siegel, which seems to exert the kind of energy, playfulness, and original direction we are used to hearing from these two. Either way, we\’re happy that Adventure Club can still take us on a melodic journey while they confidently explore a variety of genres and vocally heavy tracks. We only wish it was a more decisive canonical move rather than what felt like a rushed together collection of dis-jointed future bass pieces.

Listen for yourself, and form your own opinions! Stream the full LP below.

iTunes / Spotify / Apple Music

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