New York composer Lea Bertucci will release a new album on her own Cibachrome Editions.

Of Shadow and Substance explores dissonance, drone, and dynamics with two new long-form compositions.

The record opens with “Vapours,” whose contemplative, semi-improvisational, interflowing lines of acoustic instrumentation swell and expand like the passage of time.

The latter half of the album, which is just as moving and evocative, comprises the composition “Of Shadow and Substance” for double bass, cello, harp, percussion, and electronics. The title is a reference to an episode of cult TV favourite The Twilight Zone.

“More so than any of my other music, I don’t feel that these works belong to me,” Bertucci says. “There is something about them that is beyond myself as an individual and provides, if anything, a brief glimpse into what it is to be human in what feels like these waning days of the Anthropocene.”

Bertucci’s work spans over a decade, with eight solo albums and a number of collaborative projects. She founded Cibachrome Editions in 2021 to focus on releasing her own music.

The album is available in a limited edition of 500 vinyl, CD, and digital download. A special edition of 25 will include hand bound prints of graphic scores to both pieces.

Tracklisting

01. Vapours
02. Of Shadow and Substance

Of Shadow and Substance is scheduled for December 1 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “Vapours” in full and a clip of the title-track below. Pre-order is available here.