Sounds like…
Melting duvets of synths to comfort you in times of need.
The review
SHHE’s self-titled debut album was one that was welcomed by many (including Higher Plain Music) last year. Returning in 2020, SHHE has teamed up with six other artists to remix tracks from the debut to give them a different perspective and new lease of life. As someone that actively explores identity and fluidity, SHHE said that they felt drawn to seeing their work reimagined through other perspectives and creative lenses.
With a debut album that was already full of dreamy drones and electronica, it is interesting that the remixers largely keep the same blissful state of slow-motion intact. SHHE creates a mysterious shroud with each song and each remixer takes a slightly different approach to create different layers of mystery. Black Taffy remixes ‘Beds’ by stretching out SHHE’s vocals so that she sounds utterly androgynous and layers tuned percussion and tape chewing echoes over the synths. In contrast ‘Boy’, remixed by Alva Noto strips the synths down low and that leaves an empty drum knock and the subdued vocals behind. What was already a haunting track is now the kind of track Mandalay could have made on a downer. Sophia Loizou brings plenty of glitch percussion and vocal snippings to ‘Maps’ to create an anti-dancefloor riot. It constantly threatens to break out into a huge frenzy but instead keeps taut and tense with a throbbing undercurrent of angst. Even Tommy Perman’s remix of ‘Saint Cyrus’ is relatively dreamy. The percussion is huge but its produced to sound like you are hearing it through a wall next door. With minimal guitar and vocals, it makes the song sound strangely distant. At the same time, the drums evoke an internal heartbeat sound which is right up against the ear.
Two tracks dare to tackle a traditional dancier remix. Of those, Makemakeness’ remix of ‘Emma’ is the one you’ll most like get lost in motion to. It has a Bladerunner bassline and some heavy beats alongside its cheesy one-hit whoops and tin guitars. It’s a tech-noire epilogue. Lastly ‘Eyes Shut’ is remixed by rRoxymore and whilst its quite minimal, the beats and bassline throb and pulse with purpose. There’s also some fun vocal twisting to enjoy too.
‘Re’ is interesting because the remixes all feel different whilst keeping the same moody dream state of the original material. In doing so, I think SHHE has created a remix album that would actually appeal to fans of the original material and not so much to the electronica dance floor vinyl lovers. That being said, the majority of this release would sparkle in a chill-out 2am comedown club set when we are back up and running with these kinds of things again. It is a perfect comedown album to land softly and thoughtfully to.
Recommended track: Maps (Sophia Loizou Remix)
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SHHE - Re
