Ziúr - U Feel Anything?

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  • "I believe you can only tell that something is harsh when you have a soft side to compare it to," says Ziúr of an idea that informs her debut album, U Feel Anything? "If everything is amazing then nothing is, right?" The contrasts in her music tow the line between destruction and tenderness. Intense percussion and hammering walls of noise intersect with slowly drifting melodies, creating a graceful exchange between two strikingly different types of energy. U Feel Anything? expands on the collisions of textures and feelings first heard on her first two EPs, Taiga and Deeform. Industrial, noise and punk influences seep into her music, whether that's as overtly as on the controlled chaos of "Arise" or a shallow, distorted purr that lies just beneath the surface on other tracks. This influence stems from Ziúr's background in punk, having played in bands since the late '90s. But U Feel Anything? isn't always harsh. As metallic drums pop and rotate on "Drawn," aqueous blips occasionally bubble towards the surface. It's a rare instance of fluidity, one that's heard again on "Body Of Light." Aïsha Devi's celestial tones temporarily halt the constant dissection of sound, her voice placed peacefully above emotive square wave melodies. These moments of smoothness and tranquility, however, are largely in the minority on U Feel Anything?—the music mostly glitches and buffers, tearing apart different elements and making them flutter in the air. Heavy, guttural sounds populate U Feel Anything?, which produce as much of an emotional and therapeutic reaction as the soft, quiet moments do. "Rituals Of Passage"'s call-and-response claps sound like pinball levers. On "Fractals," guitars jump around in stereo as the drums thrash; an angelic voice surfaces later on. On the other hand, the centre of the album, the sparely arranged "Human Life Is Not A Commodity," is one of the record's most hushed moments. Warped and pitched-up voices call out over whistling drone, and contemplative bells echo—the backdrop for a moment of quiet reflection in an album defined by intense emotions. Its sections of high energy, of tension, of unpredictability, show an ability to bring contrasting energies together in a powerful way. U Feel Anything? asserts Ziúr as one of club music's most vital rising talents.
  • Tracklist
      01. Human Life Is Not A Commodity 02. U Feel Anything? 03. Soaked 04. Body Of Light feat. Aïsha Devi 05. Cipher 06. Moonlight 07. Rituals Of Passage 08. Don't Buy It 09. Laughing And Crying Are The Same Things feat. Zhala 10. Drawn 11. Arise 12. Fractals
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