--Ada Wofford
---- Released 10 September 2021 on Strange Daisy Records
Much like Laura Fisher's other 2021 release, APOPHENIA, her new EP is difficult to pin down. Elusive, sinuous, and ever shifting, it's a wondrous sonic snow globe that leaves the listener unsure whether they're inside or outside of the glass. Fisher switches things up on this new release, ditching the wordless and dreamy wanderings atop haunted pianos for a more electronic production that is both lush and stripped down.
Wonderfully strange drums pitter patter behind the thematic synths and Fisher's always ethereal voice, yet their strangeness only serves to bolster the track, alluding to the otherworldliness of Fisher's world. The drums are not played in anyway that's off or odd, it's something about how they pop out of the track at you. It's fascinating, captivating, and truly delightful to experience.
And just like on APOPHENIA, Fisher weaves together tunes that can be enjoyed quietly in the background of a dream but can also be studied under a microscope. This masterful dichotomy is quickly becoming her trademark. Something so difficult to pull off, made to sound effortless.
When I asked Fisher about the recording process, she had this to say: On the process: I’ve been working with Adam for three years now on a variety of recorded projects, during which time we’ve grown close on a personal level as well. I trust his talents as an engineer immensely and have also grown suspiciously delighted by his ear for production. It was a completely organic step to let him take the reins on this release production-wise. I’d call it an experiment in fun and creativity during a strange and challenging, sometimes harrowing time (pandemic). I credit artistic influences we both adore including Broadcast, Blonde Redhead, and Warpaint.
I asked what he had to say about things and was told, “We love Farfisa sounds. Also, my guitar playing style involves trying to use guitars to sound like keyboards. The main goal is to come up with unique tones that still have a sense of familiarity/relatability to [the aforementioned] influences of ours.”
What I’ll tell you is that he is also a wizard of bass, synth bass, and studio drums! I’m obsessed with how he drums on these tracks. Major RJD2 and Warpaint influence there. If you listen very carefully, you might even spot the buried noise guitar solo I did at the beginning of the first bridge/strings part in "Fiction" one late and inspired night. I don’t even play guitar. That’s how much fun we were having.
Purchase the 7" via Strange Daisy Records. Stream and download via BandCamp. And listen to "Fiction" below: