Across the eight tracks, Chris Bartholomew draws on his background in theatrical composition (Barbican, National Theatre Studio), marrying cinematic storytelling with a palette that recalls the emotional resonance of Hans Zimmer, the granular textures of Tim Hecker, and the stark minimalism of Ben Frost. The seeds of Subterranea were planted after a shared bill at Newcastle’s Cumberland Arms with Gordon Chapman-Fox (Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan). Impressed by Chris's performance Chapman-Fox brought the project to Lunar Module.

The album's unique sonic world has been described by artist Leafcutter John as: “Cryogenically frozen Beach Boys slowly melting from the Earth’s final great glacier.”

“Bartholomew crafts with such richness, letting harmonic ideas and rhythmic development unfold naturally from the precise layering he creates in each work.” — Jo Quail, cellist, live loop composer & sound designer

“A majestic sonic marriage between technology and humanity, raw and vulnerable in its perfect delivery.” — Kunal Singhal, Chaos Theory Music