Fifteen years in the making, Undular Bore is finally here.
Troy Swanson, electronisist, instrument inventor, and the singular force behind Undular Bore, has spent over four decades creating, recording, and producing his own brand of electronic music. Along the way he’s invented electroacoustic instruments designed to produce organic yet stochastic textures, and contributed synth work to landmark records alongside Boris and SunnO))). Now, with the self-titled debut album, that vast accumulated experience has a proper home.
From gentle soundscapes to wave-forming cacophonies, Undular Bore is a music rich in ambient texture, full of bottom-heavy vibrations, elements of noise, and light treatments of floating glacial melodies. It is the first in a series of compositions layered in improvisational interludes, drawing on Troy’s collection of vintage electronic instruments, percussion, and his own specifically designed instrument, dubbed the Corpus Callosum.
The Record
This is a Gatefold Double LP pressed on Blue Marbled Vinyl, released through Tsurumi Records. The format was a deliberate, considered choice.
“This is a double vinyl release, and that’s why it’s double gatefold,” Troy explains. “It goes back to old record-collecting days. I don’t like double records in one sleeve. This is a nice way to present my music in an artful package.”
The decision to press on blue vinyl wasn’t just aesthetic whimsy: it’s part of a larger visual conversation the album is having with its own imagery. “I decided to go with blue vinyl to make it part of the package. The blue and white matches the arctic photos.”
The Photos
Those arctic photos have a story. In 2009, Troy traveled to the Arctic Ocean doing torpedo recovery work for the UW applied physics lab and brought his camera along on excursions. “I would try and capture the sculptures of the ice, the icescapes,” he recalls. The resulting images, stark and elemental, became the visual language of the album.
Pre-Order & Pre-Save
Undular Bore releases May 15th.
Pre-order the Gatefold Double LP on Blue Marbled Vinyl directly from Tsurumi Records, or pre-save the album to your streaming service of choice here.
