Next week, Oakland, California-based LEILA ABDUL-RAUF (Vastum, Ionophore, Cardinal Wyrm, Fyrhtu) will release her fourth full-length solo album, Phantasiai, through Cyclic Law. With the album on the verge of its public unveiling, New Noise Magazine is hosting an exclusive premiere of its latest single, “The I Emerges II: In And Out Of Being.”
Beyond the wide spectrum of acts LEILA ABDUL-RAUF is a full-time member of, her immersive solo work showcases her talents as a multi-instrumentalist. Weaving layered textures into drifting cinematic compositions, Phantasiai conjures dreamlike ambient hymns while channeling ethereal melancholy. Fully composed, recorded, and produced by LEILA ABDUL-RAUF, Phantasiai was mastered by Cyclic Law, the stunning cover artwork was created by Matthew Jaffe, and graphic design was handled by Heresie Studio.
She delves into the new single: “The second movement of the second suite, ‘The I Emerges,’ ‘In And Out Of Being’ moves away from the Ligeti-esque dimension-traveling ‘Rebirth’ into a more still, yet even more disorienting space. A temple bell plays a central focus with the twinkling piano, as a call-and-response with the nymph-like vocals, and its textures are gradually manipulated throughout the piece to create an increasingly dizzying atmosphere. The melodies are simultaneously mystifying, seductive, and playful, while the contrasting lyrics touch on isolation and psychic disintegration:
faces flattened
desires suspended
caught between
the front of elation and
the back of despair
twirling in and out of being
we never meet”
New Noise writes, “The upcoming album has a prevailing feeling of melancholy, between the dreamlike ambience and ethereal magic the LP marinates in.”
Immerse yourself in LEILA ABDUL-RAUF’s Phantasiai single “The I Emerges II: In And Out Of Being” first at New Noise Magazine RIGHT HERE.
Cyclic Law will release Phantasiai on CD and digitally next Friday, July 16th, with the LP to follow as a co-release with Cloister Recordings in September. Find preorders at Bandcamp where “Distortions In Phantasy I: Lure” and “Distortions In Phantasy III: Suspension” are streaming HERE and the label webshop HERE.
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