It’s amazing what we can visualize with just a few audible stimuli. In Yndling’s newest single, “Cotton Candy Skies,” she transcends past bright and dreamy synth-pop and upgrades it to a piercing beam of white light. The Norwegian artist pulls a trick out of IGOR‘s playbook, with some of the waviest, sweetest synths you’ve ever heard. Though the track has its subtle, dim moments, they come and go like a cloud passing through, well… a “Cotton Candy Sky.” And at the end of it all, you’re left with a gorgeous, gleaming song that puts serenity above all.
The song follows a fairly simple pattern, relying on the flow of the synths to take the track where it needs to go. It consists of a constant back-and-forth between wall-of-sound production and minimalist ambience, with the mere volume of the instrument driving all of it. Alongside the glossy electronica is the just-as-glossy voice of Yndling, whose bouncy vocals continue the almost overwhelming level of sonic radiance, while maintaining a super calm and whisper-like quality.
Though it lacks an inventive flair, the path it takes is a soothing and comfortable one. And the influences are more numerous than they may appear. Amidst the areas of intense and bright pop are lulls that could come from a jazz or early-90s trip-hop club. These short periods listen almost like an updated Stereolab. I also hear sounds from fellow Nordic musicians, the Cardigans, and their hushed, pop ballads. And among other comparisons are My Bloody Valentine—though I wouldn’t compare them as similar instrumentally, the intense dream pop can feel on the border of shoegaze.
Yndling’s newest single balances the bright with the dull, spreading out waves of bliss with much-needed cool down time. Its simplistic song structure only aids the effective juxtaposition of the two different production styles, rather than distract from them. “Cotton Candy Skies” is a bright and gorgeous bit of dream pop that proves synths will never get old.
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Hunting It Down 