Brand new music comes courtesy of the never faltering Andrea Balency; the most haunting Franco-Mexican combination you never knew existed.
Check out my chance-viewing of her performing in Birmingham in October last year here.
Back in the summer of 2014 she released ‘You’ve Never Been Alone’ as part of her ‘Walls’ EP, a Björkesque sound, sultry and clinging voice that moves from one sound to another with the elegance of a seasoned professional.
For this year’s return EP entitled ‘Volcano’, the same sombre tone is there; but with a new depth. The title track rises and by the second verse she is soaring with the ease of a young bird catching the wind.
The natural earthy feel of the music juxtaposes the electronic accompaniment perfectly, creating a weightiness that ebbs and flows like a breeze.
Percussion takes a front seat for the EP, where she uses it to give a heartbeat to the stripped-back tracks. In ‘Waterfalls’ there is a heavily distinctive beat that is (oddly) reminiscent of one half of former dubstep duo Benga, also noted for his powerfully simple but effective drum selections.
Check out the video for ‘Waterfalls’ below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGGc9mRhRlI
It’s also noticeable that Balency is capable of changing her vocal sound, sometimes enunciating perfectly, and other times, like in ‘Waterfalls’, allowing her voice to be the lead instrument, slurring words into each other and the meaning becoming all but subjection.
All at once, there is a window of clarity where ‘Please Fall’ blasts through. I don’t want to ruin your journey of discovery, so I won’t divulge too much, except to say that where Balency mostly uses instrumental composition to build tension, here her lyrics build up to a cliffhanger that is painfully real.
Rounding off a small masterpiece, ‘Deep Sunk’ has the same industrial percussive tone that someone like Burial did 8 years ago for ‘Archangel’ in ‘07. It follows the style of the other track sin that the second and final verse is stronger and more powerful, eventually breaking off to a soft finish. It is a style that I admire greatly, a combination that leaves you feeling slightly heartbroken; wanting more.
Follow Andrea Balency online – https://www.facebook.com/balencymusic
Download her EP from iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/volcano-ep/id962843855