Six Missing & Yannick Lowack—friedlich

I'm a big proponent of this style of music, but I think sometimes the mood or setting you listen to something in can play a big factor in what you take away from it.

Let me set the scene. It's early Saturday morning and I'm sitting in my trailer near a lake. There's condensation running down the windows and the sun is up, but obscured by trees, with the occasional ray piercing the branches.

The EP opens with "Boardwalk" and the sound of nature, as always, is comforting, with the gentle crashing of waves and an ambient, ethereal tone. Then there's an introduction of piano, bright, but with an odd dystopian feel to it. It plays like some kind of inner turmoil, eventually being calmed and soothed. The last minute returns to nature and serenity.

Opening with birdsong, "Converge" has a subtle tone underpinning the track, but it's the piano that's the medicine of choice, brighter than before, but also much warmer. Then there's the introduction of strings and you can't help but feel a sense of being lulled.

Starting very differently is "Dancing with Leaves". There's a sound almost like a car door being opened. It raises your alertness, but isn't threatening. Then there's a buzz like cicadas, which becomes more noticeably electronic as the oscillation changes to a much lower tone before being pushed back into the mix and almost forgotten, replaced by something much more ethereal. Then, around the two minute mark, in the blink of an eye, it changes, with the piano again becoming the driving force. I have to admit, this second movement, if you will, really seemed to engage with me in a different way, lighting that part of my brain that loves repetition.

I got vibes of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" with "If". There's a continual low tone, with what sounds like an electric guitar fluttering, before again the piano takes centre stage. There's a sense of searching, maybe a hint of urgency, but it's tempered by the accompaniment, especially the strings. Again, there is a shift towards the latter part of the track and a sense of coming to a fixed point, a conclusion.

It's seemingly all piano with "It's Delicate". This track starts in a much more traditional classical way. Again, the electronic sounds provide a sound bed on which the other instruments, namely piano and strings, sit. There's also what sounds like an acoustic guitar and then electric guitar, which could be electronic, but they add an interesting additional texture before reverting back to quieter simplicity.

The EP closes with "A Breath", relaxed, calm and soothing. Piano and strings are again the primary voices, but you can't help but pay attention to what sits low in the mix, especially when the waves return, kind of bringing us back in a full circle.

OK, maybe I've waxed lyrical more than usual, but I think sometimes it's helpful to relay how I'm feeling when I review something, as I think it helps convey a piece that's usually missing. You don't need to be in a particular mood to listen to this EP, but it's certainly possible for it to influence how you're feeling. I love this kind of music when I want to escape into my own little bubble for a while, and this is will definitely be a perfect companion.