Nasturtium - Please Us [Room40 - 2021]Classically-trained guitarist/musician Erin Dawson and artist/composer Geneva Skeen, have come together to form the new duo, Nasturtium. Mixing their many influences together to create a wonderfully rich, ambient based dreamy, lo-fi aesthetic, their debut, Please Us, is a treat for the senses. Built with many layers over a few tracks, this first outing for the pair easily engages the listener and eases them through the process of feeling their emotions through sound. Deftly mixing synthesized and realistic components, Nasturtium brings together two worlds to create a very vivid and vibrant tapestry of sound. Spread over five tracks, the duo uses both traditional and experimental composition to paint their picture and invite the listener in for a spell. The combination of textures works well in both the constructive and destructive senses - by teaming up echoed, wistful guitar chords with uplifting drones or slicing through the mix with crispy, distorted tones. Both Erin and Geneva are in top form here and are embedded in the music. Please Us is a fantastic set of soundscapes that often work in a capacity beyond just being an environment. Utilizing chords, dissonance, noise, and drone, Nasturtium often flirt with the active side of their creation and have the songs drive the listener instead of being an ambient addition. An interesting facet of Please Us is the universal timeliness of it - this would play very well in any season, at any time, and still evoke emotion within the listener.
Nasturtium's debut, Please Us, shows the duo of Erin Dawson and Geneva Skeen working in tandem to create evocative and emotive ambient based soundscapes. Coming on Room 40, this five pack of feelings gets better with repeated listens and more unfolds with each consecutive spin. Mixing many elements handily, the duo puts its passion for sound at the forefront and keeps it there. To check out the release for yourself drop by here Paul Casey
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