Picture One Takes a Deep Dive

Weirdly enough, the day after having a discussion with a friend about the ‘00s Atlanta band The Orphins and how clipped ‘n’ nifty they sounded and wondering whatever happened to them, etc., I was hipped to Picture One, the synthpop project of onetime Orphins guitarist/vocalist Thomas Barnwell.

Out this month digitally and on a limited vinyl edition of a hundred copies, the eight-song Across the Depths of Seven Lakes is Picture One’s third dispatch (following a download-only debut album from 2015 and cassette follow-up last summer) and the first to feature vocals. In that department, Barnwell has clearly studied intently from the dark, dramatic, baritone bottom end of the ‘80s spectrum, making for a distinct contrast with the largely uptempo dance-fluff that surrounds it.