I am proud to launch this new series about up-and-coming artists, musicians, and producers with “Orbital” by Pauline Swen Chow. This cinematic soundscape comes from her debut EP, “The Stillness Before Daybreak”, which had its premiere on the 30th May. Pauline, a Canadian film composer and an audio engineer based in London, writes music for a wide array of media, including dance and film.
“The Stillness Before Daybreak” is a 4-track journey through night, until daybreak. Described by Pauline as “a pendulum between a fever dream and incredible clarity”, each track features a different main instrument. From a bowed double bass guitar, to cello, to violin and, finally, to piano. It is an instrumental feast where the listener is exposed to a myriad of intense emotions. Its oneiric vibe brings comparisons to the experience of sleep which is both intimate and strange but, at the same time, it feels safe.
“Orbital”, the second track on the EP has been inspired by the book of the same title written by Samantha Harvey – the winner of Booker Prize in 2024. It is perhaps the most cinematic track of the release, a true highlight, with the cello brining an incredible tension, and goosebumps-inducing images which come to mind, partly as a dream, and partly as flashbacks from movies seen in the past.
For me personally, it is a dance of contrasting emotions which leave the listener torn and in need of immediate comfort. Which movie scene can you see yourself when you listen to it? A horror, a war drama, an intense exchange of words between conflicted lovers? No answer will truly satisfy you and, perhaps just like me, you will be coming back to “Orbital” a dozen of times searching for that one emotion – a fruitless effort, and a sign of experiencing musical brilliance.
Going back to the entire EP, Pauline’s intention was to create a world filled with “feverish imagination, strange and enchanting to observe”. It is a puzzle aimed at searching for answers to some of the oldest metaphysical, philosophical questions. Who are we really at night when we let our walls down? What emotions are triggered when we discover something unfamiliar?
And while sometimes it is better not to ask, out of fear of what we can discover, there is always that little part of curiosity which pushes us one step further into the unknown. And this is what “The Stillness Before Daybreak” has to offer, when you give it a chance and let it take you over. A puzzling question mark – mysterious, yet satisfying in accepting the fact that we might never know the answer.
Photo: Press release
More info: https://paulineswenchow.squarespace.com
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