No matter how far we travel, our worlds are quite small. Fragments of our spirit and our memories may spread across celestial distances, but our hearts inhabit little space. “Sessilia” – the first single from Laura Naukkarinen’s ninth album, 5 x 4, recorded on the famous Buchla 200 system at Elektronmusikstudion EMS Stockholm over five years – pulls us through the return journey to that place we hold dear. Electronic chord progressions loop with a gentle cadence, a modern, enveloping hymnal. Naukkarinen’s voice conjures shadow reminders of home, accented by high-frequency blips as we move between different points on a map.
In Jesse Jalonen’s wistful video, we begin at sea and then into the clouds where this music is borne, gradually returning to Earth. Imagining our lives from a distance carries immense gravity, while the dreamlike structures built by Naukkarinen’s voice and synthesizer are weightless. Together, we get the whole picture. Landscapes pass by, tension building in the repeating aural waves as we wonder if we’re moving in the right direction.
5 x 4 will be released on April 28 via Fonal and Beacon Sound. Pre-order HERE (Fonal) or HERE (Beacon Sound).
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