Above & Beyond Release Long Awaited ‘Tightrope’
Above & Beyond have finally released their long awaited Ultra ID, “Tightrope”. With just a little over a month to go from their 1st ever Group Therapy weekend spectacular at The Gorge, this is just what us Anjunaheads needed to get us through these next 40ish days.
“Tightrope” is a vocal masterpiece, with some of the best lyrics & vocals I’ve ever heard. Above & Beyond could be the best artists ever at finding vocalists, and their vocalist for this tune, Marty Longstaff, keeps their near flawless record going.
The song starts with a traditional progressive build up but the lyrics “When you’re running out of tightrope, And there’s empty sky below, Where’d you go? Please. Does anyone know?” immediately draw the feels. The lyrics repeat, a few times, then lead themselves into a masterful A&B progressive drop.
“Tightrope” comes out via the trio’s own Anjunabeats imprint, the same label that has been home to just about everything in the Above & Beyond catalog. It is another reminder that Jono, Tony, and Paavo are just as prolific in the studio as they are on the road, even with a headlining festival weekend bearing down on them.
And that festival weekend is a big deal. Group Therapy 250 marks the first time the Group Therapy radio show has been turned into its own standalone camping festival, taking over The Gorge Amphitheatre for two days with a lineup stacked with Anjunabeats and Anjunadeep talent, including names like Seven Lions, Jason Ross, and Yotto alongside Above & Beyond themselves. Dropping a record this emotionally massive right before that weekend feels less like a coincidence and more like Above & Beyond building anticipation the exact right way, giving the Anjunafamily one more song to lose themselves in before they all converge on Washington state together.
Calling “Tightrope” an “Ultra ID” is fitting too, since this is exactly the kind of record that has become their calling card at big stage sets: a slow, patient build that lets the vocal do the emotional heavy lifting before the drop finally arrives and the whole crowd loses it together. Above & Beyond have built an entire career out of tracks like this one, records that hit just as hard in a headphones-at-2am kind of way as they do blasting off a festival main stage, and “Tightrope” slots right into that lineage.
This tune is a must for every Anjuna or progressive fan out there so take a listen below and get ready for ABGT 250!
