Dania: Listless – Intimate Experimental Pop Inspired by Medical Late-Night Work
In addition to producing atmospheric electronic compositions, this Iraqi-born, Barcelona-based artist Dania also serves night shifts as an critical care doctor. Those late-night shifts serve as the inspiration for her latest release Listless: all seven songs were composed and produced in the early hours, while the cover features the spindly blossom of the Japanese snake gourd, a plant that flowers exclusively after dark. However, there is little trace of the chaos of her late-night routine here: instead, the album exudes a quiet peacefulness that is at times blissful, occasionally uncanny.
Converging somewhere between trip-hop, ethereal rock and atmospheric, and a hint of pop, the textured tracks glide dreamily, driven by waves of synthesizers and, as a new element, drums. An innovative feature to the artist's usual setup, they add a soft slow-paced rhythm to a number of the tracks. Its meandering, murky rhythm in the track Personal Assistant recalls the late-90s bands Scala and Seefeel, whereas Car Crash Premonition is the nearest things come to urgent. Composed after an disturbing cab ride to her workspace one night, it is both contemplative and dizzying, fit for a film montage.
Other tracks, including I Know That and Write My Name, are more reminiscent of Dania’s past output: minimalist and amorphous. The closing track, named A Hunger, has a subaquatic quality, with gurgling and pinging electronics that resemble medical equipment, blended with distorted voicemail-like vocals.
The artist's gentle, murmuring vocal is featured through almost the entirety of the album. Its words are almost imperceptible as her voice are floating, looped, layered, at points barely there entirely. Having been raised in a household where vocal expression was discouraged, she’s said it’s an activity she has always felt personal. But this is additionally an brilliant decision, enhancing the dream-like atmosphere on the beautiful, personal record.
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