Six years on from his landmark album London Zoo, The Bug returns with Angels & Devils.

One of 2014’s most anticipated albums, it’s also possibly The Bug‘s best to date. Although London Zoo was best known for its streetcleaning ragga-cum-grime anthems ‘Skeng’ and ‘Poison Dart’, it was also a record that relished in quietness, its dubby, doomy tracks some of its best. On Angels & Devils, The Bug’s quiet side is more fully realised than ever: the album’s entire first half is dedicated to ominous, often beatless music that nods to both dub and The Bug’s former avant garde collaborators like Justin Broadrick and John Zorn, with aid from Grouper’s Liz Harris, former Hype Williams member copeland and more.

Then, in its second half – the Devils half – it explodes, with a succession of firebombs from Flowdan, Death Grips, Manga and Warrior Queen. The intensity flies by, and if anything the album feels like it finishes too quick – but if you’re like us, that simply means you’ll throw it back on eager for round two. It’s been worth the wait, and ahead of a full Bug takeover on release date, we’re proud to premiere the album stream.

Stream Angels & Devils in full below, and if you like it, buy it from iTunes, Ninja Tune or Amazon. While you wait for The Bug’s FACT takeover, read our 2012 interview with him.



