The official word from the Particle Blue camp was, for a very long time, that the duo had split up and pursued different musical paths. This is, in fact, all true, but a chance reunion gig at the Coach and Horses back in 2011 brought back, if not the spark of total commitment, at least the opportunity of Antoine Vella and Claire Tonna working together again after a long time.

There may not have been too many other appearances after that, but one of the most memorable since has to be the duo’s appearance at the Lissen Festival in Corradino last September, where Particle Blue played a specially-prepared set of Maltese songs in line with the festival’s theme.

For the benefit of those who weren’t present, the performance went down a treat; the novelty of hearing Particle Blue’s songs translated to Maltese was an added bonus that deserved so much more than a one-off performance.

So the news of a brand new album from Particle Blue sung entirely in Maltese is more than welcome. Titled Mill-Qalb (From the Heart), the album features seven tracks, essentially the songs the duo performed at Lissen, recorded for posterity last summer in the space of an afternoon and released online via the band’s Soundcloud page.

In line with the duo’s open music policy, they hope that other artists will take it upon themselves to remix the original versions and give them their own little twist.

www.soundcloud.com/vellantoine1