Codes In The Clouds

Codes in the Clouds emerged from Dartford in the U.K. as an instrumental post-rock ensemble whose sound moved fluidly between introspective melancholy and soaring, atmospheric grandeur. The group came together in 2007 and devoted itself to constant composition and live performance before securing a deal with Erased Tapes Records, the same imprint that housed Nils Frahm, Olafur Arnalds, and A Winged Victory for the Sullen. Its five songwriters—Ciaran Morahan, Stephen Peeling, Jack Major, Joe Power, and Pete Lambrou—deliberately avoided vocals, explaining that “the listener can take what they want from it. There’s no default reaction for people to have, no set paths for people’s emotional response to run down.” That unrestricted method of building emotion through dense, intricate layers first surfaced on the single “Distant Street Lights/Fractures,” which drew strong praise, particularly from BBC Radio One’s Huw Stephens, and later earned Single of the Week honors from the webzine Drowned in Sound. After continued touring and recording, the band issued its debut album, Paper Canyon, in 2009. Built from arpeggiated melodies, reverb-laden chords, and enveloping, warmly textured surfaces, the record expanded the group’s audience and reputation. Capitalizing on that momentum, Codes in the Clouds released Paper Canyon Recycled in 2010, an album of reinterpretations featuring contributions from labelmates Nils Frahm and Rival Consoles as well as Worriedaboutsatan, iambic, and Paul Mullen of the Automatic. The following year the quintet returned with its second studio album, As the Spirit Wanes, tracked in only six days. The record maintained the band’s panoramic, film-like character while reflecting the members’ personal circumstances more directly. Subsequent international dates included a slot at the U.K. festival ArcTanGent. In the years that followed, the musicians pursued side projects while beginning work on a third full-length release.