What does Lanę sound like?

The gentlest dreamiest acoustic folk moments.

The review of Lanę – Blood Language

New Zealander Lanę has worked her way into a wonderful crossover of singer-songwriter tropes that I personally adore. I find that New Zealand has a remarkable habit of creating acoustic folk-pop stars that have a hard to recreate rusticness about their music. Lanę has this but she’s also started producing her work in the UK with Brett Shaw. Brett is well known for Florence + The Machine, Daughter and Robyn – the alt-pop world. “Blood Language” keeps the rustic nature front and centre but the dreamlike qualities shine through too.

Across the EP#s four tracks, Lanę is able to hold a tender and gentle space. All songs are ballad styled or like holding a crystalline moment frozen in time. For example, “Massachusetts” has a very simple nuanced two-chord back and forth that evolves a bit over time. The song is like a lullaby – the production on the guitar and vocals sells that – but it also feels like a timeless UK folk piece too. There is sadness and longing to each note and the title track perfectly exploits that. Muted percussion, understated gongs and battered pianos have a hazy synth creating a musical mist underneath the track. “Muscle Memory” is a beautiful acoustic folk number where Lanę’s voice does the heavy lifting to sell this idea of recapturing old habits again. Then the chorus hook brings the track to life. “Killing Floor” is possibly the most produced track on the EP with added synths, dual vocal delivery at different octaves and tick-tocking piano notes that emphasis the slow nature of the song – and the EP by extension.

Lanę lays out the foundations for her future album in the works with “Blood Language”. I’m really intrigued by the soft muted dreamfolk vibe she is going for. The EP feels cathartic, meticulous and very understated so it calms you down and draws you in. In a world where everyone else seems to be going louder and bigger, this is a nice diversion.

Recommended track:

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