Codes in the Clouds are a British post-rock band formed in July 2007. Consi… Read Full Bio ↴Codes in the Clouds are a British post-rock band formed in July 2007. Consisting of Dartford, Kent natives Stephen Peeling, Ciaran Morahan, Rob Smith, Jack Major, and Joe Power, the group plays instrumental post-rock with cinematic qualities. Their debut album, Paper Canyon has been released in the UK in 2009. They are signed with the independent, London based label Erased Tapes Records.

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Codes In The Clouds, the quintet of Ciaran Morahan, Stephen Peeling, Rob Smith, Jack Major and Joe Power hail from Dartford, England – a town not known for much besides giving birth to The Rolling Stones. Since 2007 they have dedicated themselves to producing heartfelt music to rival their peers and firmly place CITC as ‘Ones To Watch’ in a vastly growing instrumental rock scene. A perfect fit then for cinematic music label Erased Tapes, with writers such as Wyndham Wallace musing that the likes of Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds and Berlin pianist Nils Frahm ‘sit comfortably alongside the rowdy post-rock of Codes In The Clouds’. Their much anticipated second studio album As The Spirit Wanes will see the light of day in January 2011.

Codes In The Clouds weave guitar melodies that have an alluring and versatile combination of qualities: melancholic yet uplifting, polished yet unhinged, delicate yet powerful. Through relentless touring and determination this young band have steadily gained recognition since signing to Erased Tapes in 2007.

CITC’s first single Distant Street Lights/Fractures received instant critical acclaim from radio presenters such as BBC Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens and became Single of the Week on Drowned In Sound: ‘Possibly the most gripping piece of music you’ll hear this year’ (8/10). The release of their debut album Paper Canyon in 2009 secured the band fans from all around the world.

‘A perfectly presented first statement of their intentions…sending jolts from shoulders to fingertips’ (8/10) – Clash

One year later, October 2010 saw the band compile a remix album entitled Paper Canyon Recycled. Featuring the likes of Paul Mullen (The Automatic), Maybeshewill, Worriedaboutsatan, Machinefabriek and Library Tapes – not to mention label mates Rival Consoles and Nils Frahm – the project stemmed from an open call, giving fans and fellow artists the opportunity to craft remixes of songs from their debut LP. The band received over 100 track submissions in total and every remix album sold continues to help Friends of the Earth.

The skills of one particular entrant, Brighton-based producer and musician Guy Andrews (iambic), impressed the band so much that they invited him to work on their much-anticipated 2nd studio album and follow-up to Paper Canyon. Recorded in just six days at Brighton Electric in September 2010, As The Spirit Wanes will be released in the UK on January 31st, 2011. Whilst from the outside last year has looked rosy for Codes In The Clouds with a remix album release, successful tours and festival slots, it’s also been a difficult year behind the scenes. Yet personal loss has proven a collective driving force, bringing the band closer as a group and shaping their surprisingly optimistic second offering:

“It’s not that the album has a set concept or theme, it’s just that each member of the band went through similar experiences around the same sort of time. So naturally, this is reflected in the album. We all feel really close to it, and it’s definitely the music we want to make. It’s a very personal record to us and we feel it’s a big step forward from the first release. The songs are definitely a better reflection of us as a collective of people. Hopefully others will identify with the ideas within the record and can relate it to their own experiences.”

Co-produced by Erased Tapes initiator Robert Raths and label mate Ryan West, then mastered by Nils Frahm at his studio in Berlin, As The Spirit Wanes could almost be described as a family affair. Even the artwork has been inspired by the band’s time in Iceland, performing as part of the Erased Tapes label night at Iceland Airwaves 2010. Most importantly, it’s all about songs with As The Spirit Wanes offering its listener stunning melodies and razor-sharp hooks. From the Beach Boys pop appeal of Look Back, Look Up to the euphoric Washington, down to the emotionally charged two-minute hymn If I’d Have Known This Was The Last, Codes In The Clouds embody their genre in its most rewarding form.

More press reactions:

‘A debut record of real maturity’ Best New Music – Rock Sound

‘Sob at the beauty of it. Ones to watch, for sure’ – Metro

‘These post-rockers have mastered their art of flitting seamlessly between ambient beauty and heartfelt climaxes which will leave you reeling for more’ – The Fly

‘Easily one of the most refined and complete sounding instrumental post-rock long-players of recent times’ – Boomkat

‘This Kent-based quintet find themselves on the cusp of what looks to be a very promising career’ Ones To Watch – Rock Sound