I'm by no means a classical aficionado, I couldn’t tell Schopenhauer from Shostakovich, I just like what I like. Classical music has that uncanny ability to calm the soul, with pieces like Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata or Pachelbel’s Canon. It can also focus the mind or obliterate inner turmoil. My go-to for the latter being Beethoven's Ode to Joy.

This EP is a collection of four piano compositions. Reviewing classical music is tricky, it's more about how it makes you feel than breaking down technical aspects. The album opens with Nostalgi, which immediately conjures up warm memories and nostalgic moments. It feels like floating through your own thoughts, unbothered by anything dark or heavy.

The second track, Pictures, continues this dreamlike quality. In my mind’s eye, I saw a stack of old photographs being held, and one at a time, a single one let go, to drift gently away before the next falls. Then comes the title track, full of subtle imperfections, but more on that shortly.

The final piece, Håp, begins acoustically, then brings in a very subtle, soft synthesizer backdrop that gives it a very gentle Vangelis feel. It's a beautiful way to wrap up the EP.

Now, about those subtle imperfections. I was listening on a pair of Hesh wireless headphones via YouTube Music. On the second track, I noticed a low-frequency sound. Thought it might be a dodgy connection with my laptop, so I tried listening from my phone instead, but the sound was still there. Switched back to my laptop and tried Bandcamp instead. The sound quality was much better, unsurprising given it streams at 320kbps compared to (I assume) 192kbps on YouTube Music.

That said, while the quality was better, that low-end sounds became even more noticeable. So noticeable, in fact, that on the third track, it almost felt like an unintended accompaniment. I ended up restarting the EP to see if it was present throughout, and sure enough, it was.

Curious, I went to the album's webpage and things started to make more sense. It turns out the third track was recorded on Susanne’s childhood piano, described as "slightly out-of-tune" to add an "authentic layer of sentimentality." Personally, I didn’t pick up anything noticeably off-pitch, but I did hear other artifacts that, once noticed, I couldn’t un-hear. I'd be surprised if the whole EP was not in fact recorded on this piano.

I think if I’d heard the EP on Bandcamp first, I might have gone with the flow and just enjoyed the music for what it is. But as it stands, that low-end noise became a bit of an obsession.

I debated whether to post this review, but honestly, the beauty of the four tracks outweighs my minor irritation. And who knows, maybe it’s a totally different experience through speakers instead of headphones. Either way, I’ll definitely be checking out more of Susanne’s music.