Introducing… Aunce

Birmingham-born and London-based artist Aunce creates genre-straddling music that blends pop, electronica, and alternative elements, and tackles social challenges in her lyrics. She also works with other women in music production to create a community of women supporting each other. Aunce (pronounced ‘aunts’) started releasing music late last year.

‘Zoo Friend’ is the latest single. It starts off gently, with hazy synthwave, reminding me subtly of Ionnalee. Once the beat kicks in, we embrace skipping, trickling rhythms and tentative melodies. These build into a beautiful cascade of electronic bleeps that drown out the previous melodies and vocal collages. It is an anti-single in many ways, as it doesn’t contain a strong chorus. Instead, it focuses on rousing emotions that pay off with its majestic second half.

Speaking about the song, Aunce says it explores two feelings that have shaped her outlook on life. The first is a deep sense of connection with non-human beings, such as animals, plants and landscapes. When you find someone else who feels that connection too, they become your Zoo Friend. The second emotion is the grief at how often that connection is dismissed, especially in Western culture. Aunce wanted to create a sense of soft disorientation, and the two melodies sliding across each other work a treat to serve that up for the listener.

‘Zoo Friend’ is out now. Find out more about Aunce and hopefully a future EP or LP release by visiting Aunce’s website.

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