I was pretty sure that nothing could beat COAST for my jazz album of the year in 2025, but Orbits have come along to challenge that crown. Blood Red Sky is one of the most impressive debuts I’ve heard in recent years, with almost too many positives to shout about. The Norwegian band first broke onto the scene in 2024 with a brilliant single, “Synthetic Sweetness”, before quickly adding their debut EP, Bad Mantras, to their repertoire. The first two minutes of that EP were so good, I snapped up the album immediately.
Imagine Snarky Puppy and Jaga Jazzist‘s funky composition paired with some light psych-rock, featuring gorgeous vocals reminiscent of early Jorja Smith or Hiatus Kaiyote lead Naomi Saalfield, set against a rich, indie-gaze atmosphere. It’s very stimmy, with very present and memorable motifs or effects paired with the stunning vocal harmonies. The band itself actually came to be due to a commissioned song back in 2022, bringing together a core collective and live members simultaneously. Lars Horntveth from Jaga Jazzist leads the band, with Natalie Sandtorv (Neon Ion), and producer Erlend Mokkelbost making up the primary trio, and other members of Arc Iris, Fieh, and Elephant9 joining for the live performances.
Blood Red Sky is comprised of seven really unique tracks, each of which you’ll want to go back to and revisit, so you can truly soak up all the nuances and intricacies buried within. Straight from the off with “Broken Glass”, you’re introduced to the gorgeous synths employed throughout the album, which are paired brilliantly with percussion. Soon after, Natalie’s vocals kick in and elevate you to another plane of existence. However, despite the uplifting start, it’s also arguably the most mellow you’ll find Orbits, bar the title track. At the two-minute mark, the full composition kicks in, with bubbly effects and strings kicking in to really round out the sound. The track escalates like a psych or prog-rock song would, constantly shifting and never sticking too long on a particular motif or pattern. By the end of the track, they’ve woven a wonderful harmonic cacophony that explodes in a flowery climax, the high quality setting the tone for what is to come.
The commissioned song was actually the third track on the album “Synthetic Sweetness”, and it is arguably my favourite. There are so many fascinating and brilliant moments in this track, it’s hard to keep track. The funky soul opener immediately feels high quality, but there are these sudden shifts that come out of nowhere that consistently elevate the track. Jarring synths like you’d hear from Jaga Jazzist suddenly interrupt the bubbly soul, adding extra depth to the track beyond great vocal hooks and funk. The final climax of the track is stunning, a rich sunny vibe that carries with you the rest of the day.
Songs usually push five to eight minutes in length, so there is plenty of time to really explore various sounds, vocal hooks, and ideas. The final three tracks add a lot more jazz to the mix, though, with Horntveth’s influences definitely shining through. Here, you get much longer instrumental sections, where the full band pitches in to psychedelic sections that always pay off. In “First Swim”, after a particularly crazy jam, Natalie’s vocals kicking back in is a welcome and warming way to finish the song.
The mix and master on the album is stunning, giving loads of room for the full band to excel, and allowing drums, bass, and orchestra to really pop. The vocal effects and volume mixing are also handled especially well, cutting through the mix with accentuated harmonies at exactly the right moment. “Faded Love” has some of the best examples of this, with the vocals popping in and making the shifts and climaxes in the track stunning.
Closing out the album, the funky “Bad Mantras” perfectly captures the sound of Orbits, a journey from start to finish with psychedelic vocal sections leading into another amazing psychedelic jazz breakdown, before rounding off the album with a great orchestral finale. You’ll be hard pressed to find a combination like this that works so well. There’s a lot to unpack in this album; play it loud and enjoy.
