Consisting of the film composer duo Alexis Marsh and Sam Jones, as well as co-producer Dan Dorff Jr., chill synth-pop group DYAN has delivered an album that will be sure to act as an excellent soundscape for those in need of a low-key mood anywhere. Looking for Knives displays the film composer roots of Alexis and Sam with a great deal of the album relying on stripped down instrumentation to highlight the drowse-inducing vocals that make the record easy to vibe to without risk of boring the listener.
Although much of the record is shrouded in often trance-like layers of synth, a few tracks focus on the simple acoustics and percussion that are merely in the background of the other tracks. “Aging” does a wonderful job of blending all of the elements of the album together in one track, creating a harmony that highlights Alexis’ vocals while maintaining a light harmony between the synth and percussion, which is sometimes lost in other tracks. The title track “Looking for Knives” also finds a way to encompass the laidback vibe which often appears in increasingly freeform ways on the album, and even includes some minor jazz instrumentation, leaving the open possibility for deeper experimentation on future music.
While the album does not make for the most exciting debut for a group, it does successfully solidify promise for DYAN’s future work. In this case, the down tempo, minimalist sound works, for it establishes a distinct sound for DYAN amongst many other synth-pop groups. Looking for Knives is aptly named so, for much of the album seems to be searching for something sharp that may not be found in one particular place on this debut, but provokes curiosity in the listeners longing for something more.
Recommended If You Like: Poliça, CHVRCHES
Recommended Tracks: 1, 5, 8, 12
Do Not Play: N/A
Written by Andrew Chavez on 10/13/2016