ASHA’S NEW ‘COLLIDE’ EP FEATURES A COLORFUL CREATIVE JOURNEY
Asha stands out from the crowd with her eclectic stylistic choices and dedication to her craft. Her newest musical effort is an envelope-pushing EP titled ‘Collide,’ in which Asha is responsible for a large portion of the overall body of work, plus collaborative input from Pulsemaps. It’s an impressive feat, certainly, but it would be a disservice to Asha to simply say the EP is “good” or “bad.” It feels much more profound than that, with her ear for production culminating in a fully-fledged world for her music to exist in. Their teamwork has developed something hauntingly beautiful, exploring the light & dark sides of electronic music.
Fans of FKA Twigs’ or Grimes’ early releases would love Asha’s enchanting efforts, with Pulsemaps’ production techniques guiding the way. She offers the same electronica dreamscape that these artists are known for, yet, her iteration sounds like it belongs in 2024. These kinds of sonic landscapes tend to give off futuristic energy, but many have withstood the test of time, and it seems Asha will fit into a similar category of timelessness despite the evident risks she took to breathe life into her ideas. For example, her subdued vocal stylings are far from boring; rather, they encapsulate the otherworldly energy of each song impeccably well. She has a haunting undertone in her voice, showcasing a wide range of emotions without the need to scream about it to get her points across. Instead, she has decided that less is more, with an even balance paving the way for more ambitious future endeavors.
Eventually, Pulsemaps’ incredible production value could make its way to the silver screen. Many of the songs, like the title track, are cinematic by default. I can picture a larger-than-life climactic movie scene as she croons about vulnerable real-world situations she’s experienced. This level of realness within their art, especially as a joint endeavor, will continue to shine among the rest; it doesn’t seem like Asha, as a performer, is itching to outdo any competition anyway, allowing her work to speak for itself. “Collide,” the song, was a perfect introductory note for the rest of the EP.
Following up with “Altered State,” Asha’s vocal layering skills suggest that a singing voice truly can be an instrument by itself. The gritty, darker wave instrumentation, paired with the looped background vocals is a match made in heaven. Everything in Pulsemaps’ production is smooth as butter, and this specific technique is something special. You can hear the way she explores her subtle-yet-emotional vocal range by how her low-end range is at the forefront of the storytelling in “Altered State.” I am almost convinced that the vocal layering is doing a majority of this song’s heavy lifting. It’s impressive stuff that only experienced producers (like Pulsemaps) with many years under their belt, could achieve.
Then, “Pour Your Heart Out” is perhaps the most ambitious effort of the EP. The progressive build throughout the song is mesmerizing, guiding listeners through Asha’s world, again, in a cinematic way. This genre is often known to require multiple different vantage points to achieve this kind of robust sound, but Asha manages to achieve the impossible all by herself with a little creativity and a lot of dedicated time.
“Chaos of Waking” was the exact right choice to close out ‘Collide.’ I’m thoroughly intrigued by the deep, gothy bassline; these intentional choices, mixed with a She Wants Revenge-esque vocal production creates a straight up tune. Her use of gated/arpeggiated synthesizers is sprinkled lightly throughout the EP, but the way ‘Chaos of Waking’ would be incomplete without one is not lost on me. Plus, this is some of her best lyricism, insinuating that she saved the best for last. There are so many unique metaphors and allegoric elements proving her point that these notes will linger for days to come.
The combined talents and ears of both Asha and Pulsemaps work symbiotically in the ‘Collide’ EP, breathing balanced energy into each beat. His carefully curated production techniques and her standout style work seamlessly together. There are some cool and clever uses of synthesizers and vocal layering, insinuating that Asha could eventually pivot away from traditional electronica and create or at least pioneer her subgenre. Hopefully, she continues to collaborate with artists like Pulsemaps; this EP would not be the same without both of their input, flowing effortlessly together as they explore uncharted experimental territory.
Click HERE to listen to ‘Collide’.