Review: Quiet Light "Postinternetfame / Self Tape"

You may have started to notice the name Quiet Light circulating in online indie music spaces (or maybe you're an OG fan from Bandcamp!). But if you haven't, allow me to introduce you. Quiet Light is the folktronica brainchild of Texas-born Riya Mahesh. Signed to True Panther Records, Quiet Light seems poised to follow in the footsteps of the label's other recent breakout success, Oklou. Both artists share a focus on ambient, atmospheric, and ethereal synth-pop heavily influenced by acoustic music. Her new album, Blue Angel Sparkling Silver 2, drops on April 24, but you can listen to three of the singles, "Berlin," "Self-Tape," and "Postinternet Fame" right now.

"Why are you always fighting your friends? / You're at thе ER getting stitches again / The blood it pours down your head / You used to be obsessed with me and now you don't know

I feel similarly about Quiet Light as I do Bassvictim. As I expressed in my recent review, both are attempts to reconcile folk music with the digital age, often leaning into the incongruence and necessary distortions of such a project. At times, the songs seem cluttered in their heavy vocal autotune and sonic layering, but there is a uniqueness to the disorientation produced that is truly special and hypnotic. The sparse yet thoughtful lyrics of the project allow for the "dream sequences" of Mahesh's work to, indeed, sparkle, and her production continually allows each disparate element to combine in ways that transcend the sum of its parts.

While waiting for the new album, I would also recommend listening to her previously released tracks "Aurora," "Paloma," "Love90," and the collaborative track "Dealerz." I especially enjoy the ironic Wall Street backdrop of the "Paloma" music video, particularly the sequence in which she poses beside the Fearless Girl statue just before the lyric, "The way you're looking at me makes me want to kill myself," blares.

You call me from the train, you call me from the train / The blood in your head, it calls me from the train / You call me on the train, you call me on the train, you call" (Berlin)

The way the synths and electronic beats interact with folksy, even country-adjacent, influences creates an escapist and expansive sonic landscape that makes me even more excited to hear the full album.

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