Dania: Listless – Intimate Underground Pop Inspired by Medical Night Shifts
Besides producing atmospheric electronic pieces, the Iraqi-born, Barcelona-based artist Dania furthermore works overnight duties as an emergency doctor. These late-night hours serve as the inspiration behind her latest release Listless: all 7 tracks were written and produced in the early hours, and the artwork showcases the spindly flower of the Japanese snake gourd, a plant that flowers exclusively after dark. However, there is little trace of the turmoil of her overnight schedule in this music: rather, the album exudes a serene calm that is at times euphoric, occasionally uncanny.
Converging somewhere amid downtempo, shoegaze and atmospheric, and a hint of catchy melodies, the layered songs slink along hypnotically, propelled by washes of synthesizers and, for the first time, percussion. An innovative feature to the artist's typical arrangement, they lend a soft downtempo kick to a number of the tracks. The shuffling, murky beat in the track Personal Assistant recalls the late-90s bands Scala and another, whereas Car Crash Premonition is the closest things come to urgent. Composed following an disturbing taxi journey to her workspace one night, it is simultaneously contemplative and woozy, fit for a film montage.
Additional tracks, including I Know That and another called Write My Name, are more reminiscent of Dania’s past output: minimalist and amorphous. The closing track, A Hunger, possesses a underwater feel, with gurgling and beeping electronics that sound like hospital monitors, blended with altered answerphone-style vocals.
The artist's gentle, murmuring voice is present across almost the entirety of the album. The words are almost imperceptible as her vocals are suspended, repeated, layered, at points almost absent at all. Growing up in a household where vocal expression was discouraged, she has stated that it is something she has always felt private about. But it’s additionally an brilliant decision, enhancing the surreal atmosphere on the beautiful, personal record.
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