Always seeking innovative approaches to releasing music, Breton-born musician and composer Yann Tiersen unveils his latest two-part album, Rathlin from a Distance | The Liquid Hour, released via Mute. Rathlin from a Distance | The Liquid Hour, is one album in two intrinsically connected parts, each with its own distinct sonic identity. Rathlin from a Distance is eight tracks of delicate and introspective instrumental piano, while The Liquid Hour is an emphatic collection of expansive and innovative sounds with a hybrid of electronic synthesis and moments that feel like a psychedelic marching band driving the energy.

Rathlin from a Distance – named after an island in Northern Ireland – comprises solo piano tracks that feel almost hypnotic. Each song is named after a place that Tiersen visited on his 2023 sailing tour, from the Fastnet Lighthouse in the Atlantic Ocean to the Faroe Islands through Shetland, ending in the calm waters of the Caledonian Canal, which connects the east and west coasts of Scotland. Tiersen’s skills as a player are exquisite, but he also understands the importance of space and restraint. The deeply considered songs on this part of the album evoke the reflective mindset that originally inspired them.

In contrast, The Liquid Hour shifts from introspection to an outward focus. While working on The Liquid Hour, Tiersen decided things needed to be torn down. Opening with ‘Stourm’ (tr. “fight” in Breton), a musical call for action, this part of the album is a reflection of our position and existence in the world, encompassing so much of Tiersen’s sonic world. There’s atmospheric ambient music; there’s infectious melodies, hypnotic grooves, and electronic instrumentation, and QUINQUIS adds vocals that feel as powerful and stirring as they are haunting and dreamy.