After nine years, Tortoise return with ‘Touch‘ —an album of cinematic, wordless compositions shaped by distance, adaptation, and deep collaboration. Created across studios in Chicago, L.A., and Portland, it’s the band’s first project not built entirely in one room—yet it’s remarkably cohesive. The five members, scattered geographically, adapted their usual jam-based process into fragmented, patient sessions that relied on remote contributions and trust built over decades.

Despite logistical challenges, the album captures Tortoise’s signature: intricate layers, odd-time grooves, and shifting textures. Songs like “Vexations” evolved through solitary experimentation, revealing the band’s openness to reinvention. As always, the focus isn’t melody but structure, dynamics, and texture—crafted through overlapping rhythms, experimental noise, and precise sound design. Touch reaffirms Tortoise’s role as boundary-pushers in instrumental music—embracing uncertainty to create something quietly radical.

After nine years, Tortoise return with Touch—an album of cinematic, wordless compositions shaped by distance, adaptation, and deep collaboration. Created across studios in Chicago, L.A., and Portland, it’s the band’s first project not built entirely in one room—yet it’s remarkably cohesive. The five members, scattered geographically, adapted their usual jam-based process into fragmented, patient sessions that relied on remote contributions and trust built over decades.

Despite logistical challenges, the album captures Tortoise’s signature: intricate layers, odd-time grooves, and shifting textures. Songs like “Vexations” evolved through solitary experimentation, revealing the band’s openness to reinvention. As always, the focus isn’t melody but structure, dynamics, and texture—crafted through overlapping rhythms, experimental noise, and precise sound design. Touch reaffirms Tortoise’s role as boundary-pushers in instrumental music—embracing uncertainty to create something quietly radical.