Bands these days seem to think more is better, recruiting a menagerie of musicians to create extravagant, sweeping soundscapes in a desperate attempt to “get known.” They alter genres and stock up on effect pedals, hoping someone will notice how experimental and different they are. Does this work? Sometimes, yes. But there is something to be said for minimalism, and UK bedroom producer, WALL, has found that delicate balance between enchantment and sedation in her debut EP, Shoestring.

Like its namesake, the five-song collection is delicate. Recorded on rudimentary equipment in the young producer’s homemade studio, the tracks capture ethereal, ambient noises from the room, which create bone-chillingly fragile soundscapes that frame the singer’s angelic, airy vocals. The album opens with one of its highlights, “Place Too Low.” The song begins with a softly plucked bass line and whirling synth to introduce WALL’s low, sultry vocals. She at once sounds nervous and seductive as she sings, and when she says faintly, “Tried to keep my thinking down, took some time to work it out / Never in a place too low, in a house up on a hill,” it’s as if she is whispering to you her deepest secrets. Her breathy vocals direct the tiptoeing music along, and when it gets to the chorus the sound explodes—her voice loudens and dancing synthesizers playfully juxtapose the skulking bass riff. As sudden as the music crescendos, it falls back to a wispy verse and follows this structure throughout its four minutes.

As the record continues, WALL experiments with vocal layering to create playful, slightly delayed harmonies in “Valentine,” and spacey keyboard riffs and drum machine beats in the album closer, “All Alone,” but the EP’s centerpiece is its title track and single.  “Shoestring,” begins with immediacy the other songs lack. Droning keyboards and faint electronic samples frame the chanteuse’s voice as she sings, “Give me another reason to get going.” Her voice is still the main focus, but instrumentation plays a larger role in this track, which is illustrated with a short, dreamy musical break near the end of the song.

Every second of Shoestring’s nearly 20 minutes of playtime is crucial and necessary to the album, which is a rare feat these days. It is clear that WALL picked each note carefully, and that sense of intimacy shines throughout the record. This collection’s only fault is its length. Eighteen minutes of hauntingly beautiful music is not enough.

 

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