Stomp Box Choir illuminate the shadows with their luminous debut 'Magnifier'

There’s something quietly alchemical about 'Magnifier', the debut offering from Stomp Box Choir, a project born from the long-standing creative orbit of producer Howsie and songwriter Joe Stratton. It glows from within, like a late-night light leaking under a studio door. You can hear the years of friendship in how seamlessly the ideas lock together.

What makes 'Magnifier' so instantly striking is its ability to balance warmth and melancholy with unforced ease. The duo’s roots in electronic production give the track its pulse, but the emotional weight comes from the way organic and digital elements are woven until the seams disappear. Stratton’s melodic instincts and Howsie’s detailed production meet in the middle, never competing, always conversing.

And then there’s Burcu Bahar Aydin, whose voice becomes the centre of gravity. Rich, expressive, and layered with a sense of history, her performance brings a depth that anchors the music’s drifting atmospherics. She carries the track’s emotional narrative with a kind of graceful urgency, turning every phrase into a story told at close range.

'Magnifier' feels spiritually aligned with the lineage of artists who blurred genre boundaries long before it was a marketing term. The brooding majesty of Massive Attack, the cinematic restraint of Air, and the soulful electronic pulse of Maribou State. Yet Stomp Box Choir are reshaping them into something intimate and unmistakably their own.

As first chapters go, 'Magnifier' is a slow-burning, emotionally rich introduction to a project that already feels deeply considered. Stomp Box Choir arrive with intention, and it’s impossible not to lean in.