Therese Aune is part of a collection of Norwegian artists I’ve just recently discovered and this singer/songwriter has a really interesting way of creating music that isn’t directly catchy and regular in chord structures, but that on repeated listens utterly get stuck in your head.
“Hedina” is possibly the most accessible track on the EP and opens it with minimal synth loops that burst into a more tribal but still synthetic chorus with big tom drums and Therese’s voice being heavily layered into a Nordic styled chant that she then sings her lyrics over. It’s an unusual song because it feels like it’s going to stick to a tried and tested formula but then veers off octave wise. Therese Aune’s voice cuts through everything like crystal and “Cocoon” continues that theme. Her accent is cute but also slightly otherworldly. The title track pairs this with a lot of sine wave styled keyboard loops and bossa nova styled electronic percussion. Her voice sounds very similar to Julia Marcell or fellow Norwegian Highasakite. “Weightless Words” is my favourite track from the EP as it’s pushes a lot of synth loops together in a clunky and bumbled fashion that trips over itself. It reminds me (and I don’t know why) of ViVi’s theme from the Final Fantasy IX game. It’s thick, rubbery, cuddly and approachable but Aune’s voice gives it a witchy presence, especially in the end where her voice just echoes underneath the rest of the instruments. Her lyrics are suitably disembodied too. “Dive” see’s Therese Aune return back to a more acoustic based sound which is what she’s done previously. It’s a fantastic track that merges lots of layered vocals, a sombre piano riff and lots of weird percussive elements. Her lyrics are beautifully abstract with snippets like “I wanted to be a part of the pieces and the shaping” and she tries to quantify emotions.
Cocoon is an impressive EP from a lady that already has an impressive back catalogue. It’s a great place to start and shows a newer, more electronic based direction rather than the acoustic/classical roots she’s come from. Massively talented – Aune has a new fan!