The second album of Aya is wild. Musically and emotionally. Having moved from Manchester to London, their time on Hyperdub doesn’t seem to have been all that great after their epic debut. By their own admission, their new tracks are about »the desperation and dysfunction of addiction. Internalized phobias and repressed traumas«. And so Aya gives free rein to her anger and despair on »Hexed!«, screaming, howling and agitating in a wild voice that reminds one of Anne Clark in quieter spoken word moments. All this is set to a cluster of fast techno beats, electropunk creaks, pop trance, intricate electronic grooves, digital sounds for video games yet to be programmed, and quiet, almost sacred moments of drone.
A consistent album. Carefully produced and yet completely from the heart. Even quiet moments like the title track sound like a scream without Aya screeching. Her voice wears different make-ups. Sometimes pure Aya, then stormy in doom style or clouded by effects, it trembles on the edge of a digital sound volcano and dissects personal feelings and nightmares in a captivating way. Atmospherically, »Hexed!« can also be understood as a nervous, musically poetic agitation against the rapid dynamics of algorithms and a world in times of humanistic regression. A very human one, despite the many digital effects and sounds. AI can never be this scratchy and angry!
Hexed!
