The Comforting Warmth of Winter
Direct links to download and streaming
Released 30 October 2020
A winter album conceived during peak summer heat. A nostalgia for snowy landscapes? A bit. But picturesque peacefulness is present only indirectly here. An observation of the outer world quickly turns into an introspective exploration. This is an inquiry into imagination, feelings and perception within the color palette of the cold season.
There is a variety of sonic experiments here, but the stylistic fusion has uniting elements throughout. The contrasts between the 6 tracks never interrupt a single storyline. Piano is featured prominently, delivering several solos in different contexts. Electronic sounds are alive and expressive, always spiced with some organic imperfection. They tend to make an impression of acoustic sources, rather than digital devices. Beats and noisy percussions are not always mapped to a rhythmic grid, adding to the sensation of an unscripted emergence of structure. There is no seeking for safety in clearly defined genres: the album can be loosely assigned to downtempo electronica with strong presence of neo-classical piano.
I have been postponing releasing solo records for a preposterously long time. In the beginning I thought of a little spin-off from my film works, a short EP out of frosty strings and piano – that seemed like an easy enough starting point. Immediately taking several inadvertent turns this record took its own direction instead. The wild mixture of ideas unfolded spontaneously and shaped the album into a rough-edged, impulsive, instinctive, but purposeful journey.
Credits: Written and produced by Ruslan Perezhilo
Mastered by Blacklisted Mastering