If only we could be friends with Friends of Friends, and Friends of Friends’ friends… the steady stream of strong releases coming from the American label this year suggests that they must be sitting on a mountain of talent and unheard goods. Their latest output is a full-length album from Danish producer Tomas Barfod, who has previously left his mark all over the map at Turbo, Get Physical, Gomma and Kompakt, through both solo and collaborative releases, under his own name and also as Tomboy and as a part of WhoMadeWho.

Our attention was directed towards “Salton Sea” through the release of the “Broken Glass” single back in March, containing the title track with remixes by Jacob Korn and Shlohmo, plus original track “Beach Party” which was featured on Brodinski’s Fabric 60 mix. “Broken Glass” was a definite highlight of “Salton Sea” for us, so getting to hear it early on the single was both a blessing and a curse. It made us excited for things to come, but it also felt a bit like that feeling when a movie preview gives away what happens. If you want to know exactly what we’re talking about, you can stream the official video for “Broken Glass” at the end of the post. Luckily, the album manages to carry the same warm feeling along towards a very cohesive final product, and one of the better executed full-lengths we’ve heard in a while.

Download: Tomas Barfod – November Skies feat. Nina Kinert (320 kbps)

“Salton Sea” is an album with a lot to give. It’s low-key and removed from the fast trends of the music world that Barfod is involved in with his other pseudonyms. It’s easy on the ears and the liberal use of vocals make it feel closer to pop music than anything else. It has its moody moments, and has certain points where we’d even call it beautiful. We’ve played it through several times already when in need of aural palate cleansing or in rare moments of downtime, and we don’t really plan on stopping. 

Stream: Tomas Barfod – Broken Glass (Official Video)

Tomas Barfod’s “Salton Sea” will be released via Friends of Friends on May 21st, and you can pre-order it here.