PREMIERE: lia t - Sweetapple Lane [Music Company]

Perth-based artist lia t has an ear for capturing quotidian detail and making it feel special. At the very end of 2020, she released sketches222 on Deep Water, a collection of wistful ambient etudes that contained dozens of field recordings, mostly taken during the producer’s time in Osaka. Earlier that year, she also collaborated with Copenhagen-based artist Perko on mini-album highlight ‘Grounds’, a stunning 2-minute snapshot of the inimitable sounds that make up the city. 

Her latest release, and opening track on Music Company's forthcoming Vector Fields Vol. 3 compilation, is a little different. Whereas ‘Grounds’ channelled the hum of the urban environment, ‘Sweetapple Lane’ is a more celestial affair—the aural equivalent of an aeroplane ride through a cloud. The track opens with a field recording of passing traffic but it quickly dissipates. Gradually, the piece thickens; the synths intensify and several other electronic elements drift in and out. It’s a noticeable expansion in scope from the producer’s music to date but it doesn’t sacrifice any of the intimacy that makes both sketches222 and ‘Grounds’ feel so personal. It’s more like being able to listen to someone’s thoughts as they fall into a daydream. That sense of reverie is heightened by lia’s clever use of field recordings. The producer bookends the track with them. In the last 30 seconds, she reintroduces one—this time nearer water or a beach—to bring the track slowly back down to earth. It’s these familiar, everyday sounds that add to the song’s quiet grandeur; they make it that much easier to get lost in its many overlapping folds.

lia t - ‘Sweetapple Lane’ is from Music Company’s Vector Fields Vol. 3, out May 28th. All proceeds will go to Firesticks. You can pre-order the compilation here.

Theory Therapy · PREMIERE: lia t - Sweetapple Lane