Any artist that immediately makes me think of Zola Jesus is someone that I need to spend more time with, sonically speaking, of course. They say that the first impression is often the most honest one, and so, on the strength of “Left In October,” I have a feeling that Avtumne is someone that I am going to be following very closely.
There is something beguiling in the way that she lays out almost folk-infused deliveries over an industrial, electro-rock soundscape, how the deep-dive pop lyricism seems a perfect fit against the backdrop of abrasive and raw sonics they dance over. There is also a touch of 90s nostalgia about the song, too, but as music is a cyclical beast and seems to complete its full circle over the course of about two generations, I prefer to think of Avtumne as being ahead of the curve rather than backward glancing.
The result of all of these strange, attractive opposites is a musical collision point, an explosive place where the past and future meet, where genres and, given her own rich heritage, even geography meet, where the digital and analog worlds embrace. It is a place where gothic shade and pop accessibility meet, where the metallic taste of alternative rock and the liquid grooves of the dance floor merge, and where the future of all manner of musical genres, from pop to rock to industrial to dance to indie, all briefly meet, evolve and head off again down slightly altered timelines.
And all of that achieved in just over four minutes. No wonder music fans like me are waiting with bated breath to see what she does next.
