jgladden
swooning yet again, her entire discography is enthralling and crush is no exception, synth, lulling pads and alexia’s voice as lush and sumptuous as they come adds to her impeccable set of releases. my only plea, it finds its way to vinyl or tape.
Leaving behind any sense of preciousness or expectation, Crush EP is an escapade of swirling synths and mesmerizing beats, an introspection of infatuation. After leaving a long-term relationship and moving to New York from Massachusetts, Avina saw an opportunity to reclaim her sense of self, which included tuning in to desire. The collection explores getting swept up while at the same time recognizing that there’s nothing more to a crush than the energy you put into it: “I wanted to sustain and imbue the fallacy of crushing with focus, even if it felt ephemeral and fabricated. I also wanted to chart the progress of crushing: from questioning and its initiation, to letting go of this thing that actually doesn’t exist at all.”
Musically, Avina’s focus shifted exclusively to synth—divergent from her previous releases, and a new instrument to learn, which proved to be a liberating endeavor: “Writing this EP was very freeing. I felt compelled to write something that was light, fun, and easy. It really helped break me out of the box I was keeping myself in creatively. I felt more emboldened to do something that I felt sounded good and that I liked, rather than thinking about everything else external to it.” As a result, Avina has released an exquisite collection of songs that encourage us to face our vulnerabilities, no matter how simplistic they may seem.
Written and recorded in her bedroom in Ridgewood, Queens, Avina collaborated with Alex DeSimine (Talk Bazaar) and Tea Sea, who both employed drum programming and some additional synths. “As writing this EP was an exercise in freeing myself from my own expectations and limitations, it was also freeing myself up to collaboration—being less precious and more receptive to others' input has allowed me to fully embrace my own sound and its potential.”
The opening track, “You,” explores the fall into fantastical thought patterns during a budding crush, and knowing it’s at your own risk. Pulsing synths crescendo and swarm around the dance beat and Avina’s steady incantation: Risk only the risk of what’s not mine / It holds me when I’m holding the line. “Dew Drop” begins with ethereal, disjointed synths and a rising chorus of Avina’s enchanting vocals, and then the beat drops into a dream that dances with uncertainty. “Varying Fantasy” and “Minimal Loop” center Avina’s divinely assured voice and poetic lyricism, while “Let This Die” rallies around a swirling synth line, an infectious and shifting beat, and conflicting thoughts—not unlike the experience of rejection and letting it go: “‘Let This Die’ is about how it feels unfathomable that someone doesn’t like you back. And then having to come to terms with that being a teaching moment for letting things go.”
A departure from her previous releases, Crush EP still contains the core of Alexia Avina: “I think what’s interesting about these songs is they feel like the opposite side of the spectrum of my usual output, but they also fit within the same world,” says Avina. “Even though it feels like a very different sound, it still has the same essence—just channeled through a slightly different stream.”
credits
released October 14, 2022
Recorded by Alexia Avina & Alex DeSimine at Stanhope 1 & 2
Vocals, lyrics & synth by Alexia Avina
Drum programming and additional synth on Varying Fantasy and Let this Die by Alex DeSimine
Drum programming and additional synth on Dew Drop by Tea Sea
Mixed by Alex DeSimine
Mastered by Evan Tighe
Artwork by Rita Iovine
Anna Arobas makes intricate, otherworldly folk-pop with delicate, glacial arrangements but a howl of heartbreak at the center. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 11, 2022
