Stolen Days throw the rulebook away on genre-bending debut album

Stolen Days dive headfirst into dream-pop, hip-hop, psychedelia and indie on their wildly adventurous self-titled debut album.

The duo of Dub Sonata and Alex Fitts of The Kickdrums build on earlier singles ‘Butterfly’ and ‘Daydream’ with ten tracks that deliberately refuse to settle into one sound. New single ‘No Need For Alarm’ is immediately infectious, pairing a prowling bassline with pulsing synths, tight percussion and Fitts' commanding vocal.

From there, the record continually shapeshifts. ‘Under My Skin’ combines pop melodies with early-2000s hip-hop touches, stabbing piano and cinematic strings, while ‘The Room’ moves between '90s hip-hop and shadowy trip-hop.

‘Vicki’ brings breezy indie-pop before the title track disappears into sun-soaked psychedelia. ‘The Moment’ provides the emotional balladry, while ‘Faith Pt 1’ and ‘Faith Pt 2’ gradually strip everything back, ultimately leaving voice, piano and acoustic guitar to bring the journey home.

Having individually worked with artists including SZA and Kid Cudi, Stolen Days bring serious production pedigree to their debut, but its willingness to wander is what makes it such an exciting listen.