![]() Vu’s musings on heartache, social anxiety, and existential dread surrounding a young adult’s place in the world are charged with a bittersweet sincerity that sounds more confessional than complaining. While highly produced, the delay and double-tracking that smatter the vocals are applied to retain the rawness of Vu’s voice.Ī rawness enhanced by lyricism. ![]() On “Outside”, Vu’s voice moves from a velvety melancholy, reminiscent of Lana Del Rey, to strained and pained desperation. Casually shifting intonation between soft and sinister – supported in places by deftly applied vocal distortion – Vu’s vocals well capture the aesthetic and mood of her songs. In a welcomed change to the breathy, airy vocals that saturate dream pop, Vu’s voice is firm, confident, and comes with a noticeable presence of its own. Closing track “Worm” completes this variety as the instrumentation is stripped back to acoustic guitar and vocals, allowing Vu’s voice to shine through.Īnd it is Vu’s voice that stands out throughout the EP. But while eclectic, there is a shared tone throughout the EP, lending it a consistency that doesn’t sacrifice fresh ideas. On tracks like “Order”, Vu embraces her inner headbanger as distorted guitars burst into a brief, but brutal, scratchy guitar solo. “Actress” follows the trend with the introduction of string pads and horns. ![]() Opening track “At the Party” combines stylish synths, punchy bass, and an infectious dance beat to culminate in a disco-infused indie dance track. Similarly, “Outside” rests on languorous but catchy vocal melodies, as shimmering guitars hum alongside interspersed synth leads.īut the dream pop foundations under Nicole Kidman / Anne Hathaway are not firm. Standout track “Insider” boasts lush arrangements of synth and wind pads, poignant vocal harmonies, and restrained percussion to create a dreamlike entanglement that is as melancholic as it is dreamy. Rooted in indie dream pop, soft synth pads and subtly distorted guitars abound across the EP. Self-produced (bar the addition of a sound engineer to aid the mixing process), the curiously titled, but well-polished, EP sits as a stark reminder that a teenager’s bedroom can be one of the most exciting music studios. Following the release her debut EP How Many Times Have You Driven Bylast year, Hana Vu returns with a second (and third) release in the form of double EP Nicole Kidman / Anne Hathaway. It is refreshing, then, to hear an artist that has successfully honed their craft and attuned their sound from within their bedroom. Cynics may claim labels like ‘lo-fi’ do more to disguise an artist’s amateurishness than provide a fitting musical description. Given the sheer abundance of bedroom pop released in recent years, one may find themselves skeptical of young, DIY artists.
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