Spiderwebbed

The British studio auteur Stumbleine navigates the shoals separating shoegaze, chillwave, and electro-pop with inspired skill on his first album-length project, Spiderwebbed. As producer, composer, and artist, Stumbleine asserts his personality in these tunes in oblique but perceptible ways. The ambient synth eddies of “Capulet” and the hypnotic skipping beats of “Kaleidoscope” are both otherworldly and very human, the creation of a playful intelligence. “Honey Comb” revels in a pastoral soundscape accented with woodwind tones, while “Cherry Blossom” marries an insistent urban groove with space-munchkin vocals. A cover of Mazzy Star’s “Fade into You” takes on orchestral grandeur as it frames guest star Steffaloo’s sweetly spectral voice with elaborately shifting textures. The rhythm-driven pop strains of “The Beat My Heart Skips” (featuring Co Ma) contrasts with the elusive cosmic shimmer of “Catherine Wheel” (a collaboration with Birds of Passage). Through it all, Stumbleine remains a benign mastermind, unreeling cinematic backdrops that hint at pleasures just beyond the ordinary realms of the senses.