Formerly known as Dog In The Snow, Helen Ganya is set to release another album under her own name later this year, for now we have the formidable amuse oreilles of EP Heart to Heart Mirage.
With the pandemic, Ganya felt a sense of panic and urgency surrounding anti-Asian hate that re-surfaced and amplified in western societies due to Covid. This partly inspired the name change to reflect the importance of visibility “particularly for those that move in predominantly white spaces”. The four tracks on the EP pick up from the themes on 2019’s Vanishing Lands, influenced by Ganya’s stygian dreamscapes and dark environmental prophesies, but now the existential tensions of her synth-driven compositions feel even more vibrant and personal. Heart to Heart Mirage reflects the biggest trick civilised society plays on its participants, that people can be relied on to care for each other.
‘Beautiful Country’ takes a dig at the illusion of meritocracy, Ganya’s sardonic vocal weaves between stabs of 80s keys and saxophone as the song disappears in plumes of pink nostalgia and smiles. Barging into the reverie, ‘Haze/Revolution’ cuts across with its mechanical pulse and clipped vocals strung together with an over-driven sample, sounding like the chaos of early Curve. There’s a graver pace on ‘Patient Zero’ creating an icy frame for Ganya to explore themes of resilience, while ‘Pleasure Dome’ rounds of the EP off in hedonistic bursts of dancefloor-filling bass riffs.
You can see Helen Ganya playing live this week:
MAY
25th: Prince Albert – Brighton
26th: The Waiting Room – London
‘Heart to Heart Mirage’ is out now on Bella Union.
