- Discomforting, discombobulating club music on PTP.
- "EXistence" opens with a pulsing synth tremolo that feels like a countdown. Tension builds as rattling noise and detuned samples fold in on themselves, threatening to topple into chaos at any second. But instead of letting her sounds whip themselves into an uncontrollable frenzy, Swaya slowly and deftly releases the pressure. The track settles into a simmering dread that sustains for the rest of the EP. The Brooklyn artist wrote EXistence during the winter 2021 lockdown, experimenting with sampling techniques as a way to process the perpetual horror of our current age. The resulting collection is mutated and mesmerizing downtempo full of moments of psychedelic beauty, warped by its own churning sense of anxiety.
Contrary to her shimmery, minimal production for rappers like ZeelooperZ and Babyxsosa, these songs are dense and maximalist, with jagged edges and off-kilter rhythms. Each of the EP's tightly-coiled compositions bends toward the promise of an explosive catharsis and then stops just shy of it. Uneasy vocal loops open "The Birds," eventually giving way to seasick synths, while the creaking guitar drones of "Ancient Future" scrape against chest-rattling dub bass. The rollicking reggaeton kick pattern of "Nina" and tumbling footwork drums that burst into "Methods Of Protection" convey a sense of white-knuckled urgency, but nothing fully boils over. When Lamb sings "I'm your bestest…friend" on "Say So Reprise," the only song with lyrics, it feels more threatening than comforting.
Overall, EXistence is a welcome departure from the seemingly endless crop of gentle electronic albums crafted in response to any one of our contemporary crises. Instead, Swaya's work responds in kind to the onslaught of bad news, offering a reflection rather than an escape. It's a powerful and refreshing record that posits that maybe no soothing balm for these uncertain times exists. Perhaps you should feel uncomfortable.
Tracklist01. EXistence
02. The Birds
03. Nina
04. Ancient Future
05. Methods Of Protection
06. Say So
07. Say So Reprise feat. Lamb