Kevin Richard Martin’s work as The Bug has always been about creative partnerships, whether he’s making concussive backing tracks for dancehall vocalists like Cutty Ranks or providing throbbing sub bass to accompany the monster guitar riffs of Earth’s Dylan Carlson. On In Blue, he teams up with Felicia Chen, aka Dis Fig, for a unique collaboration that combines the sonically overpowering dubtronica of his previous work with Chen’s hazy, sometimes desperate vocals. The core elements of deep bass, pulsing like underwater explosions; rhythmic waves of static and hiss a la Pole or Basic Channel; and endless echo and reverb all surround Chen’s voice, which is itself treated so it seems to drift in from nowhere and vanish again, like a fish slipping through your fingers.

– Phil Freeman