Swedish musician Klara Lewis opens her new album Opening (Editions Mego) with a dense fog of ambient noise—waves, roadside sounds, or the creaks of her recording room. Within this murk, reversed strings emerge, creating a wistful atmosphere, but soon the loop clips and distorts with strobe-like intensity, cutting off mid-bar as if unplugged.
A Deconstructed Approach Since 2014
This shape-shifting method is typical of Lewis, who has composed uncanny instrumentals from acoustic instruments and processed samples since 2014. Her self-styled "sound sculptor" identity shines through as she imbues harsh experimentalism with genuine feeling across the collection.
On City, a lo-fi guitar loop and faint chatter add warmth and intimacy to whooshing field recordings and churning electronics. The standout Vaknar builds something soaring, with reverse tape effects creating dreamlike wooziness and high-pitched noise bursts growing ecstatic, reminiscent of Joshua Chuquimia Crampton or early Arca.
Subtlety and Restraint in Minimalism
Most tracks resist such extremes, staying stripped-back and unshowy with subtle left-field touches. Despite its name, Hardcore is a slow, waltzing affair with flickering looped instrumentation and twinkling effects evoking birdsong. The 11-minute Tide remains horizontal, indulging in textural slow burn rather than climax.
Understated highlights include Bud and Small Harp, both under two minutes (the shortest track lasts 38 seconds). Even at their most simple, Lewis's vignettes build something rich and moving, proving her mastery of both brevity and extended duration.
Other Notable Releases This Month
Ukrainian musician Regina Collage's Horizont (Do You Have Peace?) meditates on her homeland and new life in Bristol. The 13 tracks are introspective and intimate, with languid mumbling over home-spun, candle-lit loops nodding to dream pop and cold wave.
London duo Curbside Lambsear—connected to Caroline and the Umlauts, with violinist Magdalena McLean touring with Astrid Sonne—release Put Rings on All My Fingers to Weigh Down My Hands (Scenic Route). The album wades through grubby post-rock and experimental noise, featuring disaffected vocals and a lovely viola section on the closer.
Tokyo musician Hakushi Hasegawa fuses doom dubstep, deconstructed hyperpop, and free-jazz solos on Honest Feeling Album (Brainfeeder). This disorientating, genre-hopping affair includes several comparatively sweet and subtle moments amidst the cacophony.
