Travel broadens the mind, they say. So true. I’d even go so far as to say that the music made by people who have called various cities, countries, and cultures home can feel less restricted by the usual genres and rules. And while I’m not saying there is anything here you could precisely pin on a map, either geographical or genre-wise, I will maintain that avoiding the traps of expectation and generic allegiance probably comes easier to people who have called Indonesia, Hamburg, and Manchester home.
This self-contained, London-based duo now give us ‘Be,’ a song exploring life’s unpredictability set to a serene yet driven soundscape. A funk-infused bassline bubbles up through a synthy soundscape, layers of sonic washing and swirling, shimmering and interlocking, then thinning out and floating away to create the beautiful ebb and flow of sonic weight as required. Over this effortlessly shifting, always mesmerizing soundscape, Claire Hadidjenar’s warm, welcoming vocals delicately drift.
If I have painted this as a gossamer slice of ambiance, I should mention the constant groove and their ability to go big to balance the lovely lulls, buoyant beats, and crescendoic highs. A dynamic song, yet gently so.
Blissed out and beautiful, delicate yet driven, mellifluous and melodic, Part dream-pop, part dance, all Apple Eyes. Travel might broaden the mind, but so does the music made by such sonic travelers.
