Perila - there are no words to describe it

  • Ranging from rich synthesizer soundscaping to disconcerting vocal work, these four tracks can't be pinned down.
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  • As Perila, Aleksandra Zakharenko uses a wide range of tones and recording techniques to craft diaristic ambient music. Although she uploads many, many projects to Bandcamp (she's already dropped four EPs since the release of her last full length, 2021's How Much Time Is It Between You And Me?), her work almost always has a startling sense of intimacy, no matter how much you've heard. She recently put out there are no words to describe it, an especially overcast four-track EP. Exploring pearly synthesis, unearthly vocal drones and crunchy downtempo, the self-released record toes the line between minimal modernism and spooky, fluorescent world building. There's something alluringly random about how the tracks sit next to each other on this EP, which feels like it exists in a cohesive universe only by happenstance. Touching on everything from monochromatic, reverbed-out out vocal landscapes ("everyday hope") to crackly drum grooves ("wish"), Perila covers a lot of ground here. These cuts span a handful of styles and textures, and each one sounds like it came to life in the wee hours of some winter's night, using nothing but a minimal laptop setup. The sparse atmospheres on there are no words to describe it showcase Zakharenko's masterful knack for using lo-fi arrangements to evoke a dense, marshy gloom. Perila's proper records tend to be pretty out there, but they come across more lush and polished than her lowkey EPs. On there are no words to describe it, her scrappier side is captivating—a compact and palpably homegrown endeavor that finds the breadth of Zakharenko's ingenuity on full display.
  • Tracklist
      01. everyday hope 02. home inside 03. wish 04. how
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