Portishead’s Third has always been one of my favourite albums of all time. It is genuinely innovative yet accessible. Geoff Barrow has always credited what came before him, honouring that history in the music while pushing things forward, particularly on Third.

With this in mind, it was great to hear "Turquoise Tigers" by Portland-based Odelet, a track that shares a similar musical ancestry to Third and a similar creative vibe to Portishead.

Like Portishead, she does not just admire the pioneers before her from a distance.

(Tiger metaphor incoming)

She springs out, sinks her teeth into that heavy, atmospheric soundscape, and swallows it whole, adding her own vibrant energy to allow this captivating piece to emerge.

She calls her style "Surrealist R&B," and "Turquoise Tigers" fits that description perfectly. It takes collapsing rhythms and makes genuine artistic melodic choices with the vocals to build the song's atmosphere.

The track is from Soul Obscura, an album capping off a triple album run across July, August, and September that includes Dappled Lounge and Fantasy Outlaw.

Odelet maintains complete creative control over her process, producing all her own material alongside Jack "riddim" for her Everlasting Tape label. Working alongside figures such as Larry Crane from Tape Op and Jackpot! Recording Studio silences outside influence, ensuring that creativity is at the front and centre of the piece.

Lyrically, the song digs into the delicate, painful space between personal necessity and emotional fallout. She captures the quiet regret of moving forward, shifting from "sharp things turning soft" to seeking sanctuary in a surreal internal world.

It's a great track. Check it out. It's proper musicianship, written, played, and produced by a genuinely unique artist.

Turquoise Tigers was out 9th September 2026 on Odelet's Soul Obscurer Album