Vįr+üål Åįrßñß - ▚ ▛ ▜ ▟ ▞
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Vįr+üål Åįrßñß
EP
Ambient
Liam Murphy
December 16, 2021
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Within the past pandemic's constraints, nothing was more worrying than the uncertain future. Forced to hibernate within our internal spaces, Laryssa Kim spent her time exploring the realms of meditation and esotericism. Planting herself deep into the unknown, this meditation allows her to submerge within her consciousness, swimming within a space full of abstract and nebulous curiosities which she brings to the fore on Contezza.
Hollow reverberated spaces initially take centre stage through Les Amants d’Omsium - 76 OS and Tum Tum - Cuori In Tumulto, both songs featuring the sound of a heartbeat pulsating amid discomforting soundscapes. There is an ominous presence that is taking hold, like a black void tugging the soul in varying directions. It’s a feeling that slithers further across Scegli Me - Contessa and in the admittedly more lightfooted L’Attente - Auspicio, with Laryssa Kim’s sonorous vocals weaving across eerie ambient tones and unpredictable burping bass staggers. Singing in different languages, but all carrying a single theme: uncertain love.
As darkness dims, a decidedly brighter euphoria soon covers Laryssa Kim’s sonic wonders as that light uplifts her further, her tones appearing softly in the folds of the space-y sheet of sound. Obsession - Indomita Mente finds her cooing throughout a glacial, soothing synth ambiance that finds her take relief from romance, following it up with Intimacy - Riserbo where stacked vocal harmonies create a calming mantra atop Tomita-esque synthwork. “Come in here, I’ll open up / I’ll overcome my fear / I’ll overcome my past / You’re welcome here”. Peace might have been realised, but a tempest soon covers it. Contezza shows us a bright ambience, but only while also unveiling its darker discordant side.
Blue Velvet - Fortezza Sacra paints the inkier shades of this love as Laryssa Kim strikingly sings to the song’s mix of bubbling beat. Further carving out the contrast, Les Amants Transparents - 1H plays out with strikes of lightness through it the singer’s voice soothing with its presence in an uncertain soundscape. Ma Chi Sei - Ascoso, however, finds Contezza cloud over again. A somewhat paranoiac thudder in which love isn’t working anymore, a passage delivered with chiming synths and solemn melodies.
Through meditation, Contezza finds a spring of moments where, amid the soundbending and swerving, Laryssa Kim treds a transforming path. One where the darker and lighter aspects collide and then reach a point where it collapses. A meditation that embraces uncertainty can be a harrowing, but cleansing experience. Mending the mind and soothing the spirit.
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