Described by the artist themself as the product of a “Manchester bedroom studio, in the dead of night, in between waiting for the ambient noise of the airplanes overhead to quieten down and the wood in the floorboards to settle”, AIOME perfectly captures an atmosphere full of quiet reflection and familiarity, perhaps too pathos and disconnection from the world. It is a space we all recognize, a place we have all felt lost in or trapped in at one time or another.
And in manifesting such a sonic feeling, Warahenege also dispels it, breaking the hold it has, as if to put it into words is to conquer such a state.
Sonically, it is a gorgeous piece, repurposing surf rock guitar twangs into something slower, sedate, and seductive, whispering vocals hang over a solid beat as the sonics charm, chime, and shimmer, tethered only lightly between beat and breathe, it is dream-like and meloncholic, drawing on the space of Bon Iver as readily as it does an ornate, Cocteau Twins-esque cinematic grandeur.
It’s a song that follows its own path, neither pop-adherent nor so adventurous as to toy with the experimental or the avant-garde, instead perfectly placed between the familiar and the fresh, where recognizable soundscapes give way to pastures new – perhaps the place where the best music is always found.
This is my first taste of Warahenge, and also a first indication of a full EP to follow, a release that, for my money, can’t come quickly enough.
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