Slovenská verzia je nižšie v článku.
It doesn’t happen often that an artist pulls you into a world that is markedly different. When you put on a new album — whether it’s rap, ambient, experimental electronics, hip-hop — you almost always have at least some idea of how it’s going to sound. Or when you go to a new exhibition at your favourite art gallery, rarely does the whole show surprise you and overwhelm you with strange emotions you’re not used to. But that is exactly what original and exceptional artists manage to do.
A lot of music projects come our way at Swine Daily and we premiere many tracks every week. „isolationship“ by Amsterdam/Copenhagen-based artist 22stain caught me off guard in exactly that way. From the very first track, the intro „why?“, I felt as if I had been teleported into a dark room of an art gallery — something like an audiovisual performance hosted by PAF festival or the A.M.180 collective. Various vocal samples of people in fear, police aggressively arresting someone, a running person gasping for breath, sounds of snapping branches and howling wind — all feeding into guitar feedback — help paint a powerful atmosphere.
Right from the album’s opening stretch („sure“, „anything i“), you can hear several original elements: an ASMR-prominent whispery vocal with various accompanying sounds, similar to what Eartheater does; slow, minimalist beats; a nostalgic Drain Gang atmosphere; reverb-drenched acoustic guitar sounds reminiscent of the Diablo soundtrack. And then there’s the striking album artwork staring back at you — a sketched black figure gazing out from behind black bars.
„Moving through fragile ambient songwriting, stripped electronic textures and emotionally dissolved pop structures, the album unfolds like a strangely private world of sound slowly leaking into physical space,“ reads the press release. The artist reportedly spent years working on the album, rewriting and reworking it multiple times.
On the aptly named album „isolationship“, feelings of sadness, melancholy, perhaps boredom or pain are locked away — but so are intimacy, fragility, and tenderness. 22stain recites/raps/delivers his words the way naive artists draw — imperfectly, sometimes deliberately simplified, reminiscent of children’s drawings. And in today’s era saturated with AI slop, that may be all the more valuable. The album radiates an undeniably warm-yet-chilling human sincerity — perhaps even the artist’s own suffering. The only minor obstacle for listeners might be the project’s length. The album could be trimmed to feel more compact. But for a long evening with wine and candlelight, it could serve as the ideal soundtrack.
„…hence, the isolation of the record is not only lyrical, but architectural. Entire songs seem to take place inside sealed emotional interiors where thoughts loop endlessly against the walls,“ the press release continues. What a happy coincidence that the album collides with the theatrical release of the Backrooms film. A24 should take note — 22stain would be a perfect fit for their promo for the film, where they invite a suspiciously well-curated selection of artists.
The term „Artificial intimacy“ (or artificial closeness) refers to the phenomenon of humans forming social, emotional, or romantic bonds with artificial entities, such as AI chatbots, virtual assistants, and companion bots. This emerging trend signifies a shift in digital interaction, where AI systems are programmed to display empathy, simulate understanding, and provide companionship, leading users to feel a sense of closeness. This artificial closeness can be felt throughout the tracks — perhaps conjured by the long sleepless nights during which 22stain wrote his lyrics and composed his songs. A romantic vision, as so often captured in literature and film: the tormented artist drowning his sorrows through long nocturnal hours, writing his words by candlelight.
22stain’s debut EP DEADXONE was made for the club — imagine DJ sets by Kavari or Blood Of Aza. „isolationship“ represents a significant shift and evolution in the artist’s songwriting. His club EP, however, proves his versatility, and we can only look forward to whatever further hybrids between bass-heavy tracks and delicate guitar atmospheres 22stain will bring next.
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[ SK ] Nestáva sa často, že by ma umelec vtiahol do sveta, ktorý je výrazne odlišný. Keď si pustíte nový album, či už je to rap, ambient, experimentálna elektronika, hip-hop, viac-menej vždy máte aspoň trochu predstavu, ako to bude znieť. Alebo keď idete na novú výstavu do vašej obľúbenej umeleckej galérie, málokedy vás celá výstava prekvapí a zahltí vás divnými emóciami, na ktoré nie ste zvyknutí. To sa však darí originálnym a výnimočným umelcom.
Na Swine Daily nám chodí veľa hudobných projektov a premiérujeme množstvo trackov každý týždeň. „isolationship“ od amsterdamského/kodaňského umelca 22stain ma takto prekvapil. Už od prvého tracku, intra „why?“, som sa cítil ako teleportovaný do tmavej miestnosti umeleckej galérie. Niečo ako audiovizuálna performance zastrešená PAF festivalom či A.M. 180 collective. Rôzne vokálne sample osôb v strachu, či polície, ktorá niekoho agresívne zatýka, bežiaca osoba lapajúca po dychu, zvuky zlomených konárov, silného vetru, to všetko do gitarového feedbacku pomáha vykresliť silnú atmosféru.
Už pri rozbehu albumu („sure“, „anything i“…) môžete počuť niekoľko originálnych elementov, ako ASMR výrazný šepotavý vokál a rôzne pridružené zvuky, ako používa napr. Eartheater. Ďalej pomalé minimalistické beaty, nostalgická Drain Gang atmosféra, reverbové zvuky akustickej gitary podobné Diablo soundtracku. A k tomu ten výrazný artwork albumu, ktorý na vás zíza (načrtnutá čierna postava hľadiaca von spoza čiernych mreží).
„Moving through fragile ambient songwriting, stripped electronic textures and emotionally dissolved pop structures, the album unfolds like a strangely private world of sound slowly leaking into physical space,“ píše sa v tlačovej správe. Umelec vraj pracoval roky na albume, viackrát ho prepisoval a upravoval.
Na trefne pomenovanom albume „isolationship“ sú uväznené pocity smútku, melanchólie, možno nudy či bolesti, ale aj intimity, krehkosti a nehy. 22stain recituje/rapuje/prednáša ako naivní umelci kreslia – nedokonalo, niekedy naschvál zjednodušene, pripomínajúc detské kresby. A to je v dnešnej AI slop presiaknutej dobe možno o to cennejšie. Z albumu ide nepopierateľne hrejivo-mraziaca ľudská úprimnosť, možno trápenie umelca. Jediná menšia prekážka pre poslucháčov môže byť dĺžka projektu. Album by sa dal skrátiť, aby pôsobil viac kompaktne. Ale pre dlhý večer s vínom a pri sviečkach môže byť predsa len ako ideálny soundtrack.
„…hence, the isolation of the record is not only lyrical, but architectural. Entire songs seem to take place inside sealed emotional interiors where thoughts loop endlessly against the walls,“ píše sa v tlačovej správe. Skvelá náhoda, ako album koliduje s vydaním filmu Backrooms v kinách. A24 by mali spozornieť, 22stain by sa im rozhodne hodil do ich proma na film, kde pozývajú až podozrivo kvalitne kurátorovaný výber umelcov.
Termín „Artificial intimacy“ (or artificial closeness) refers to the phenomenon of humans forming social, emotional, or romantic bonds with artificial entities, such as AI chatbots, virtual assistants, and companion bots. This emerging trend signifies a shift in digital interaction, where AI systems are programmed to display empathy, simulate understanding, and provide companionship, leading users to feel a sense of closeness.“ This artificial closeness is felt in the tracks. Táto blízkosť bola azda vyvolaná dlhými bezsennými nocami, kedy 22stain písal texty a skladal skladby. Romantická vízia, ako je častokrát zachytená v literatúre alebo vo filmoch. Utrápený umelec zapíja svoj bôľ pri dlhých nočných hodinách a pri svetle sviečok píše svoje texty.
22stainove prvé EP DEADXONE bolo pre klub, predstavte si DJ sety Kavari či Blood Of Aza. „isolationship“ predstavuje výrazný posun a evolúciu v umelcovom písaní skladieb. Jeho klubové EP však dokazuje jeho mnohostrannosť a my sa len môžeme tešiť, aké ďalšie hybridy, medzi basovo výdatnými trackmi a krehkej gitarovej atmosféry 22stain prinesie.
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