 |
| Photo by Wanchai Thiantanawat |
Nico Less - Slowing Everything Down
ambient
In a fast-paced world, slowing down may seem counterintuitive. Productivity is a virtue, and, to some, stopping to smell the roses is a selfish act of indulgence. Thankfully, German ambient producer Nico Less is here to convince us otherwise. Nico Less has been releasing a single on the 14th of each month for the last three months, and August's release, "Slowing Everything Down," is an ultra-meditative exploration that stretches time across a broad horizon of auditory emollients. While little melody or harmony features on this track, Nico Less adds subtle layers of textured and sustained notes that feel both sonically rich and thematically light. This track is taken from the artist's recently released album, Still.
BEVERLEE - Balance
alt pop
LA-based artist BEVERLEE has been working behind the scenes of the pop world as a writer and producer since 2017. However, her own twisted brand of alternative pop was bubbling under the surface, and she began releasing music in 2021. Her recent single, "Balance," is a multi-faceted track that merges arty intentions with summery melodies, playing around sections of rhythmic incongruity. No matter how crystalline and primed for radio BEVERLEE's hooks sound, the vision here is spiritual and not commercial; BEVERLEE's thoughtful new song about friendship carries a dark flavour within its robust constitution.
Norvmbega - Moonland
neoclassical
Spanning two continents, Norvmbega is the musical project of Jono Hill from New York, USA, and Jon Hansen from Zürich, Switzerland. While the two friends have considerable experience in contemporary classical composition, their geographic distance made working together cumbersome. Circumventing this, the duo met in Paris and dedicated one week to finishing their new album, MONS MORO. From that album comes "Moonland," an endlessly buoyant track with as much gravity as the moon. Here, strings rise, levitate, and fall around synthetic soundscapes and sporadic pizzicato hits drenched in reverb. The result is an otherworldly and pensive composition that seems to be in a state of perpetual waiting, though one which may have already arrived at its destination.
Hey, Chroma - Thunderstorm In Your Room
alternative rock
Hey, Chroma is a three-piece group from Georgia, USA, who play a progressive style of atmospheric rock. The outfit prioritize atmosphere on "Thunderstorms In Your Room", their blissed-out and epic new single. Hypnotic and repeating guitar lines play around stirring drums and impassioned vocals, and the group builds towards a climactic finish without ever losing control of their craft. While a tad throwback, sounding in places like the emo rock of the 00s, there's something timeless about how the group draws you in with mysterious compositions and performances before offering sincere and emotional release.
Qid Love - The World is Full of Suffering
experimental
Seattle resident Qid Love creates an immersive world with the single "The World is Full of Suffering." With a title like that, one might expect a tortured noise cut; however, Qid Love ruminates on the bleak with peculiar warmth. Using both ominous and gentle tones, Love mutates signals and tones with glitchy dexterity, juxtaposing roaming dreamy ambiences with frantic rhythmic expressions, unpredictable splutters of hard-to-pinpoint instrumentation, and broody electric guitar work throughout the track's twenty-minute playing time. Having amassed a substantial back catalogue under Mood481, Love has developed their own highly idiosyncratic language, spoken with conviction on "The World is Full of Suffering".