The Edinburgh musician’s new LP is a dreamy, somber swirl of indie pop and electronica.
Music fans across the globe are ready for summer to end and for cool weather to save the day. In the meantime, cooler tunes will have to suffice. For the best vibe in this field, listeners will need to plug their electronic genre into a world of sorrowful pop from Edinburgh’s Vilde. Prepare to delve into a somber journey that is not only a relatable one, but a reflective one. With the release of his latest album, Hope, he welcomes the listener to seek that feeling while also being grounded in the dark realm of reality.
One of the key songs on Hope is Piñata. It’s a thrumming track that levitates with Vilde’s haunting vocals. A catchy beat keeps the song within a realm of indie pop with cloudy emotions. While it would not be considered an upbeat tune, it does evoke a sense of calm that is attractive to both the ears and mind. If a listener needs a moment, this track may be the best one to give in to. It succeeds in crossing genres of pop, electronic, rock and alternative. Listeners across the audio world will be able to pick at this song with ease to capture what appeals to them. Jump in and dream. Don’t give up, but feel everything.
Vilde took things a step further to bring his messages loud and clear:
Hope as an album and a general feeling is something many are seeking day to day. Is there an element of that feeling that you have been holding onto? Can you elaborate?
I’m always on the verge of pessimism and skepticism, they’re my go-to mindsets…Throughout 2020-2021 it felt as though those things had no place. Within the lockdowns, I created a new reality for myself in which I solely played tennis and worked on music. I emotionally withdrew from the world. I’m generally vocal and opinionated, but I responded to every kind of opinion with “yeah, of course.” For once, I didn’t feel that I had the option to not be hopeful, which in turn gave it an obligatory nature, which gives me a feeling of resentment now. It came from a very ungrounded place and was very much a process record. It’ll soon feel good to have it behind me.
What did you harness when producing and writing for Hope? Was there a moment or series of moments that shaped your overall sound?
In terms of approach it was much like how I’ve always made music. Finding some chords, a melody, programming a beat, and building on it. I like that the process isn’t entirely a variable, and that variations on the end result must come from anything and everything else, cultural elements, experiences, location, interactions etc.
What medium do you partake in when not making music and why?
None at all. My body just doesn’t seem to respond to anything else much, other than music. My brain is conditioned to think it’s the most important thing in the world, despite growing up and learning that, really, it is not.
What has been a promising development in the music industry to date that you are keeping an eye on?
I wish I could give a better answer for this. I’m not very engaged personally…100,000 new songs to Spotify every day I hear? I think we’re going to be very reliant upon algorithms, hopefully they can do justice.
What advice would you share with a new musician eager to get into the space?
Please don’t sit in your room alone, laying down synth and singing into a microphone and racing to get it on Spotify. It’s flooded with that. Meet people, play with other musicians, play in front of people, if you’re shit-scared of that, even better. Book yourself regular time slots on a drum-kit (or buy one). Rhythm is 50% of music, even where it doesn’t seem so. Of wind, string and keyed instruments, learn to play one from each category. This whole American ‘How to promote yourself and your music’ nonsense, UGH, spare me. Unless you’ve really honed what you want to make, promotion is dragging a dead deer up a hill.
