La Grande Evasion [LP], Offline, Vinyl

Hamburg-based multi-instrumentalist and producer The Offline continues with the advancement of his hip-hop-leaning, library-tinged cinematic world-building, with his second full-length album, 'La grande evasion'. The album reflects an escape into the unknown, grounded in memory, photography, place, and inner travel. It traces a voyage that taps into freedom and the search for identity - one that The Offline characterises as "one of the oldest and most powerful motifs in human storytelling, which can be found in myths, literature, film and music."Lead single 'Boulevard National' takes the setting of the musical story back to the streets of Marseilles - the city that The Offline's 2024 'Les Cigales' EP was written in tribute to. Inspired by textures of Anatolian psych and West Coast surf, the song channels the pulse of a city alive with multiculturalism, contrast, and character. Following on from this, 'Nikonos V' references the love for analogue photography from which 'The Offline' as an idea and musical project stemmed. Breezy and groove-laced, with a warmth reminiscent of Khruangbin, Offthewally and Tommy Guerrero, the track is named after the film camera that accompanies him on coastal explorations. He shares: "The special thing about this camera is that it was built for underwater use, so it's always with me when I go to the sea. Incidentally, the photos for the cover of the new album were taken with this camera."Things turn stranger and more surreal turn on 'Le trip' - a woozy, breakbeat-flecked journey featuring a soaring saxophone improvisation from serial collaborator Kimo Eiserbeck. Sitting somewhere between boom-bap, vintage Japanese jazz-funk and BADBADNOTGOOD, it imagines a psychedelic detour through sound - "Ever licked a toad in the jungle?" asks The Offline. "Me neither, but this is what I think it would feel like." If time is needed to process that statement, then The Offline also has your back. Creating an uplifting space for reflection, 'La belle en lumière' acts as the emotional centrepiece of the record - a romantic ballad that builds from soft Rhodes chords and a steady groove into The Offline's trademark, sweeping horn-led drama.