- Lewie Day and Alia Seror-O'Neill's stunning downtempo pop debut captures the thrill and seductiveness of the chase.
- Berlin-based artist Lewie Day, more commonly known as Tornado Wallace, is one of Melbourne's most established contemporary dance music exports. His more than dozens of releases for labels like Delusions Of Grandeur, Running Back and ESP Institute showcase his knack for Balearic grooves, sun-drenched melodies and analogue drums. But a chance encounter with vocalist and fellow Australian-in-Berlin Alia Seror-O'Neill in 2020 inspired an exploration of entirely new musical sensibilities.
Their joint project a.s.o, and its self-tiled debut album, takes Day away from the dance floor and into the murky, emotionally charged space that lurks in the shadow of a thrilling club night. Inspired by a shared love of dream pop, shoegaze and trip-hop—originally collected in a playlist aptly titled "sexy badass cowgirl"—Day and Seror-O'Neill set out to craft 11 "torch songs for club freaks." With this shift towards vocal pop and guitar-based songwriting, Day follows a wave of millennial DJs and producers whose pandemic-induced break from the dance floor has brought them back to the music of their teenage years.
Anchored by Seror-O'Neill's dulcet tones, slow breakbeats and sinuous sax, single "Go On" is as seductive as a shared cigarette between strangers in the smoking area at the club. "My Baby's Got It Out For Me" describes the push and pull of an avoidant lover: "You're aloof as soon as I give in / Always putting up a fight / When there's nothing on the line." "Rain Down" evokes the cinematic grandeur of All Saints' "Pure Shores" or Madonna's "Frozen," while "Love In The Darkness" is a straight indie pop belter with a melody as sticky as the wooden dance floors of a Brooklyn dive bar.
An actor outside of her work in music, Seror-O'Neill's penchant for playing characters shines through in her tenor, most strikingly on "Cold Feeling," a Lynchian ballad with spooky organ chords and slinky guitar plucks. Seror-O'Neill's lyrics set out the stakes clearly, as she journeys from anxious entanglements to the confidence that turns a failed situationship into a lesson. "If you're here to tease / don't waste my time / before too long / I'll be doing fine," she declares. Meanwhile, Day's production adds drama and flair, underscoring break-up banger "Falling Under" with trance bleeps, cinematic strings and potent bass guitar slaps. You can picture Seror-O'Neill power walking through the city after having the long overdue closure chat with an ex-lover.
Day and Seror-O'Neill's chemistry shines through at every turn, suggesting a trust and willingness to experiment that's usually behind the best musical collaborations. a.s.o. is a striking debut that belies the short time they've been collaborating together. It's not a club record, and yet its themes of attraction, seduction, alienation and self-determination feel centred in the club kid experience, where holding out for the next night out and the next big thrill can lead to loose connections, broken promises and missed signals. a.s.o. taps into these feelings with breathtaking emotional depth and maturity.
Tracklist01. Go On
02. My Baby's Got It Out For Me
03. Rain Down
04. LITD Pt. 1
05. Love In The Darkness
06. Cold Feeling
07. True
08. Falling Under
09. Thinking
10. Understand
11. Somebody