The Dance veterans have released their third studio album today, a 52-minute journey of delicate melodies and rhythms.
Sultan + Shepard. You might recognise them by the variation Sultan & Ned Shepard, or by replacing the ampersand with a plus sign. Either way, these guys have had such an extensive career, it’s highly likely you’ve heard at least one of their songs without knowing.
Having met by chance in Canada more than 20 years ago, their first songs painted an energetic yet elegant noughties Progressive House style, which granted them the attention of many. A couple years later, they’d move to Mainstage EDM, where they’d go on to work on tracks like ‘Walls‘ featuring Quilla, ‘No Good‘ alongside Fedde Le Grand, “Close to Me” with Tiësto and Quilla, and even co-produce the world hit ‘Bad‘ by David Guetta, Showtek, and Vassy. Other milestones include remixing Pop icons Madonna, Lady Gaga, and Bruno Mars, the latter earning them a Grammy nomination.
Through the years, and through their Echoes of Life two-part album released in 2019, Sultan + Shepard would go on to gradually leave the explosive songs and put out slightly calmer, and much more melodic tracks. That would see them release their second LP, Something, Everything, on Lane 8‘s label This Never Happened, with a fully evolved style, leaning much more towards the melodic aspect of Electronic Music. And so, today, they come back to TNH for the release of their third studio album: Forever, Now.
Sultan + Shepard’s latest work is written across 11 tracks, spanning 52 minutes in total, and it contains beautiful melodies, organic percussion over a Chill Deep House bassline and kick, nature-resembling atmospheres, melodic techno hints, and gorgeous vocals from Julia Church, Tishmal, Andrew Belle, Benjamin Roustaing, PJ Harding, and Delhia de France.
If you’ve had a rough week, or day, or just wish to disconnect a little from the demanding routine of daily life, you’d better dive into this album. Get lost in the soft piano of ‘Sirens‘, enjoy Tishmal’s gentle voice giving you warmth in ‘Losing Ground‘, or give in to the hopeful aura in ‘Zima‘. The choice is yours, and I promise, you’ll feel so relaxed, and might even experience a sort of plenitude.
It’s funny that the instrumentals give you that sense of relief and inner peace, while the vocals are much more complex and deep. It’s part of what makes this album special: it’s written in such a way it can depict a higher state of mind when the body says otherwise.
Yes, I wrote about them in the paragraphs above, so it may not come as a surprise that my two favourite songs on the album are ‘Sirens‘, and ‘Zima‘ featuring Delhia de France. Both have this sense of resolution that really clicks with me, they fly me back to moments in life I’ve felt complete, after working hard for a goal and achieving it. That moment in which you look back and see how far you’ve hiked up the mountain, that’s how I feel about those two, and why I pick them as my top songs from Forever, Now.
Check the full tracklist down below.
1. Sirens
2. Making Time feat. Julia Church
3. Losing Ground feat. Tishmal
4. Concorde
5. Elenore feat. Andrew Belle
6. Neptune
7. You Already Know feat. Benjamin Roustaing
8. Maybe I Was feat. PJ Harding
9. RnR
10. Zima feat. Delhia de France
11. Forever Now
Find Sultan + Shepard in your favourite venue across North America for their album tour. Tickets are up for sale, so be quick to grab one close to you. They’ll be stopping in Chicago, Montreal, Austin, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and many more. Click here to see the full list of tour dates and secure your place (be sure to click the ‘TOUR’ tab at the top of the page).
Have a listen for yourself. Refer to the Spotify version of the album down below, or alternatively, click here to support the album any way you desire. Also also, vinyls are to be pressed. Curious to buy a copy? Head over here.
