Butcher Brown Dissolve Limits With “Ibiza”
Fans of Butcher Brown have come to expect genre-blurring brilliance, an effortless fusion of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and soul that makes even the most peripheral styles feel comfortably within reach. Still, few could have predicted deep house would be the next sound the acclaimed quintet surveys, but that’s just what the band offers to its listeners on “Ibiza,” the second single from their newest record Letters From The Atlantic, which they’ve also paired with a special live video.
Filmed by Richmond production company The Sunroom in High Point Barbershop, cameras catch the bands reveling in this new sonic realm, one that feels surprisingly natural for a band made up of five musicians who also function as producers, both within and beyond the Butcher Brown orbit. “Ibiza” is tailored for a packed dance floor, relying heavily on atmospherics, with every instrument bustling underneath a gaseous melodic layer from DJ Harrison. Morgan Burrs’ guitar and Andrew Randazzo’s bass ripple through the track’s undercurrent, while Corey Fonville’s percussion scuttles around the edges, his clear taps and subtle tom hits propelling the rhythm forward. Floating above it all with the most discernible sound is Tennishu’s saxophone, playing a hypnotic hook that echoes into the song’s reverie, pulsing with such inviting energy that it compels heads to nod and bodies to sway.
As the inviting cycle winds down, DJ Harrison’s keys rise to fill the space before Tennishu returns with a mesmerizing solo that stretches across the track’s wide-open soundscape. The band follows his lead, intensifying behind him until the original sax motif returns, this time more faint, as if refracted through the deep layers now built around it. Throughout, the camera picks up on the subtle movement of the small barbershop crowd, including Richmond hip-hop legend Michael Millions, visibly locked into the groove. But no one seems more transported than the group, a testament to their enduring curiosity and cohesion after years of pushing sonic boundaries together.
“Ibiza” is one of many standout moments on Letters From The Atlantic, but it’s perhaps the most crucial. Despite its placement later in the album’s runtime, it captures the record’s core mission: to stretch Butcher Brown’s sound into new territories without ever losing a semblance of their jazz roots. Deep house isn’t alone in this directive, with drum’n’bass, trip hop, disco, acid jazz, and drill coming into the fold as the band expands their palette with precision and purpose, with even psychedelic close within reach on this track’s confident stride.
Where 2023’s Solar Music–recipient of the 2024 Newlin Music Prize–might be the definitive sound of Butcher Brown, Letters From The Atlantic stands as the clearest statement of their ethos. “Ibiza,” in particular, shows what happens when five virtuosic musicians elevate each other in real time, charting new territory not to escape their roots, but to expand what’s possible within them. If Solar Music marked the band’s arrival at the peak of their powers, then Letters From The Atlantic shows that they’re content with building new summits to climb, each more lofty and impressive than the last.
Watch the video for “Ibiza” below, and follow Butcher Brown on social media for updates on future news and releases.
