Music has always played different roles in people’s lives. It can be the hedonistic release, or the soundtrack to a painful breakup. It can chill you out or hype you up. To Be Human:  Ambient Tapes by muvii mento recognises the power of music to soundtrack the human experience and that’s why it deserves your attention.

muvii mento -To Be Human: Ambient Tapes

‘To Be Human: Ambient Tapes’ is the debut release for muvii mento, the latest alias from the long-time writing partnership of Adam and Paula Pickering. (AKA The Daydream Club).

Released in October 2023 ‘To Be Human: Ambient Tapes’ was written and recorded during lockdown in 2020. The album explores relatable feelings from first loves, to grieving loss and then picking ourselves back up to go again and again. This is an album inspired by a yearning for human connection and a study of what it means to be human. The 10 beautiful tracks effortlessly soundtrack the moments and experiences we all go through.

I remember a time when ‘chill-out’ music was everywhere, every pop track was given its chilled-out remix, and the Big Chill Festival was the summer’s cool, must-have ticket. But back then ‘chill-out’ music felt fairly vacuous. It was cool but never really seemed to serve any serious purpose. Conversations about mental health were not a thing.

Fast forward 20 years and that has changed. A culture and an entire industry have sprung up around mental health with apps like Headspace and Calm finding their way into our lives. Several research studies show music enhances sleep and it’s been proven to lessen the impact of depression and anxiety.

To Be Human: Ambient Tapes positively contributes to this story. With its ethereal layers and swells of emotions it’s an album that encourages you to stop, take a moment for yourself and breathe. This is music with a purpose.

Each track on this album carefully signposts a moment or emotion. It’s almost like an instructional manual allowing you to jump to the chapter you need most.

We Begin / We Love / We Trust / We Fall / We Grow etc.

“To Be Human: Ambient Tapes is a compelling collection, that has been made with a huge amount of thought, love and empathy. Take a moment out of your day to listen.”

Adam and Paula Pickering (AKA The Daydream Club)

Known for their genre-hopping, the duo previously experimented with atmospheric music on the album ‘Ambient Project // Sound Asleep’ under the name The Daydream Club. They decided they needed a dedicated outlet for their love of ambient music so they consider this album the official handover from The Daydream Club to muvii mento for that musical universe.

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Words Mark Knight

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