SINGLE REVIEW: Labyrinthine Oceans – clipped wings

After touring both the UK and continental Europe, releasing an EP and a single, moving to London, and establishing a strong, dedicated online following, anybody could be forgiven for thinking Labyrinthine Oceans would end the year on a quiet note with a well-deserved rest. But whilst the devil works hard, this north-east born outfit work harder, and recently have elected to gift the world one last single to see out 2025.

Labyrinthine Oceans have always had something of a progressive quality about their sound, but ‘clipped wings’ is where those elements have truly been nurtured and brought to the forefront. The guitar melodies are jazzy and unconventional, decorated with pinch harmonics and delivered with undulating rhythms. Bass and percussive lines weave in and out of another gently to both ground the song, and truly lend a sense of cinematic expansiveness.

Julia O’Neil-Walton’s vocals are, as always, an absolute delight to behold. Keeping things far more contained than on some of the band’s other works, her rich and warm lower register is explored wonderfully here, playing perfectly into those aforementioned jazz-tinged notes. Everything is embellished beautifully by the finest production work to date for this band; despite its subdued nature, ‘clipped wings’ still manages to sound both haunting and gently relentless.

There is no doubt that Labyrinthine Oceans will be appearing in our end of year listings; the band’s releases for 2025 have been consistently strong and imaginative, and their total rejection of toning down their weirdness in favour of mass appeal has perhaps been the greatest reason for their success. ‘clipped wings’ once again feels like the opening of a door into a wondrous, dark, and dramatic world that is just waiting to be explored.

For Fans Of: Radiohead, Plini, NewDad, Slowcrush, Loathe, El Moono

Follow the band on social media below:

Instagram // Bandcamp // TikTok