- Lauren Flax teams up with Pale Blue vocalist Elizabeth Wight for an EP of sensual and inventive vocal tracks.
- Liz Wight and Lauren Flax were introduced in 2021, when Mike Simonetti asked Flax to remix "Breathe," a track he'd made with Wight in the "shoegaze techno" band Pale Blue. Both versions of the track are stunning, but Flax's is iridescent, featuring twinkling synths, and later, waterlogged plinking keys, more reminiscent of Studio Barnhus or Pampa records than Flax's usual jacking acid workouts.
That same year, Flax's equally moody and excellent Out of Reality EP came out on Simonetti's 2MR label, while the superb Pale Blue LP Maria was released earlier this year. In the meantime, Flax had asked Wight to provide vocals for another EP she'd been working on for 2MR. The results on Liz & Lauren showcase their complementary styles—as well as a more emo sensibility than Flax's productions on the likes of Super Rhythm Trax and Balkan Vinyl typically display.
Acid is still ever-present, but it has a gloomy, subterranean feel on opening track "Fix Everything," where chilly, scratchy synths, breakbeats and luminous pads provide a ghostly backdrop for Wight's haunting voice. On "I'd Risk It All To Be With You", Wight shifts between breathy whispers and airy sighs to express a burning desire—"What was once admiration / From afar / Has become deep infatuation," she purrs—while Flax deploys deep house keys and subdued drum patterns to capture the gnawing unease of unrequited lust. Mark Archer and Simon Neale (Shadow Child), as MASC, provide a remix built around bouncing drums and perkier house keys that feel slightly incongruous to the source material.
"I Don't Want To Hurt You" is probably the next closest to a club track on the record. The tempo is faster and the production is brighter, with layers of delicate bleeps, shimmering, arpeggiated synths and gentle acid lines. The atmosphere remains grey, however, with Wight this time lamenting the dissolution of love. The slowed-down "Return To Love" is less celebratory than its title indicates. "I thought it would be different," Wight murmurs resignedly.
The ethereal allure of Wight's vocal across the EP is consistent with her work in Pale Blue, while Flax is clearly enjoying exploring a different palette of sounds. Having collaborated with everyone from Sia to DJ Slugo to Chrissy over the years, Flax's most surprising turn yet on Liz & Lauren makes a strong argument for leaving your comfort zone.
Tracklist01. Fix Everything
02. I'd Risk It All To Be With You
03. I Don't Want To Hurt You
04. Return To Love
05. I'd Risk It All To Be With You