The Degrees are a duo out of Bristol consisting of vocalist/songwriter Isha Campbell and producer Charlie Bierman. They joined forces a couple of years ago, and recorded this album, their first as a duo, back in 2020 at Rockfield Studios. Now, after releasing a couple of singles last year, they finally get to make their debut on Fallen Tree 1Hundred with The Day Out of Time.

As might be expected for a duo like this out of Bristol, there is a solid influence of trip hop to this album, with some moody downtempo production and plenty of lush string arrangements to really take things over the top. However, The Degrees are not just a trip hop throwback, and they aren’t just trying to sound like Portishead. For one, Isha Campbell has much more of a soul-jazz style of singing, delivering some really moving love ballads in the process. For another, there’s also a heavy dose of acid jazz to the album as well, often pushing The Degrees more to a midpoint between The Brand New Heavies and Portishead, leaving them in their own unique middleground, and Bierman deserves a lot of credit for navigating this musical terrain and finding this happy midway points between influences, and then living there long enough to make it sound their own. Of course, what really pushes the album into it’s own spotlight is Isha Campbell, who takes front and center with a voice that is at once engaging and captivating. She has great tone and really strong voice, but she never feels the need to do too much with it. She’s also bringing in some really personal and vulnerable lyricism that make her really easy to connect with as a listener. Combining all this with a really natural musical chemistry with Bierman, and you’ve got a solid foundation with their debut album.

The Day Out of Time is an incredible self-assured and mature debut album from The Degrees. They start out with a strong sense of who they are and want they want to do with their music, balancing their influences well and finding their own voice in the process. They’ll only get stronger from here as their confidence grows and they take more chances together.