Soak up and download Wildlight‘s debut album Hers Was As Thunder (Name Your Price) here:
Bandcamp / SoundCloud Set / iTunes
Wildlight is one of the most promising new acts within the transformational niche of electronic music. On their debut album, Hers Was As Thunder, folk songwriter, Ayla Nereo, and electronic music composer David Sugalski (The Polish Ambassador), have combined their unique passions to create intriguing music that connects to a listener’s heart as well as their ears.
Ayla’s vocal range and control is impressive, as her voice successfully conveys a range of human emotion while reminding me of Enya, Amy Winehouse, and Lynx all at once. The album’s lyrics are both poetic and accessible, evoking natural and spiritual images to tell us of a desire to be something bigger, to understand loss, and to experience love fully. Within the seven tracks on this album, Ayla is undoubtedly the nexus, that component that we are most drawn to. From the sustained falsettos to the nearly hip-hop speedy verse delivery, I can say I am both impressed and moved. I also gotta’ give props to the well-produced vocal effects and harmonies that are used throughout the album. Ayla works with an array of loop pedals, enabling her to multiply her voice and create majestic, if not eerie, layers of herself.
As for Polish’s beats, they are pandemic-level infectious. These songs are of a category of dance music that is as mellow and fluid as it can be while still inciting a full body movement. I have always enjoyed some of more down tempo Polish Ambassador tracks but felt as though they were not always cohesive in relation to many of the more heavy hitting tracks. With Wildlight, it is an opportunity for him to detach from the yellow goggles and high tops. These are productions not made for Las Vegas clubs or London bass dungeons, instead I visualize a spinning gathering of beautiful, conscious people getting down under a vast canopy of trees and stars. Like much of Polish’s compositions, a listener can tap into the buzz of the modern day while still remaining connected to age-old rhythms and sounds. Echoes of high piano keys meet layers of dripping synths, glitched clicks and aquatic bass accompany a wooden glockenspiel. Playful as it is deep, bumping as it is soothing.
I couldn’t think of a better move for Polish right now. As his solo production is taking off and he is developing a loyal following, this collaborative side project focused on melody is poised to catch fire. The duo’s intention reads,”It is a sound that will spark your body into motion and swing your soul into flight.” As pop culture has become flooded by the often impersonal and mindless music of the EDM craze, I am constantly searching for authentic and innovative acts with a sound that could help facilitate a transition from the kandi bracelets to a more realized sect of a global music culture. Wildlight is undoubtedly capable of being such an act. For a debut, this album is stellar and I am excited to watch the pair continue to grow as collaborative creators.
