A “lonely love song”, Valentine and its counterpoint The Sound Of Rain Starting represent a further deconstruction of singer/songwriter Elena Nees’ minimalist electronic sound. Unmooring her voice from the crisp beats and looped lyrical refrains of her earlier work, the songs aim for for something entirely more atmospheric and ambiguous.
The Sound of Rain Starting, in particular is a wordless vocal experiment with echoes of Julianna Barwick, as Nees’ layered voices flicker around their notes. The result is a Valentine’s Day dedication perfect for anyone spending the day staring out the window wondering why Valentine’s Day dedications are a thing.
Having spent much of January on the road with David Blumberg & The Maraby Band, Valentine and The Sound Of Rain Starting are the first two tracks from Nees’ long-gestating follow up to 2016’s Why Move Very Fast At All.
The Valentine EP will be her second through Melbourne’s Healthy Tapes, a cassette-based label known both for its championing of that less romanticised analogue format and its patronage of folk pop artist Stella Donnelly, whose debut EP Thrush Metal received a tape release through the label before attracting international acclaim.
Allume’s Valentine EP will be released on Thursday, February 28. Listen to both tracks here:
Get the latest from The Adelaide Review in your inbox
Get the latest from The Adelaide Review in your inbox