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Reviewed by Amanda Mills

Indi: In Caves

Reviewed by Amanda Mills

Indi: In Caves

Christchurch-based singer Indi (Indira Force) is known as a key part of Doprah, and (latterly) New Dawn. Another string to her bow is her solo electronic compositions, and sub-titled ‘Compilation 12-16’, this is a collection of these works. Often ethereal and ghostly, the digital album incorporates textural sounds that tie the tracks together to make a thematic, and cohesive collection. ‘In Caves’ is deceptively serene in places, with sound effects and banks of synths providing a tranquil soundscape, though this does build to nightmarish proportions on Awhina’s Bad Trip. The album can be cinematic and spectral – on Buckbeak’s Execution Indi layers and builds up ghostly voices and textural percussive moments, while centrepiece Lundr ½ is a 23-minute sound collage that uses sound effects, synths, chimes and elements of white noise to build before fading out with gentle synth washes. Lakes + Wait takes a more traditional path, as a piano track, with ghostly, echoed vocals, synths, and recorded voices layered over the top. It has the feel of a final track and closes ‘In Caves’ elegantly. Beautiful, opaque, and often oblique, ambient electronica is the closest tag though albums like this seems to defy genre-definition. Not a collection to have as background music, but rather music to take notice of, and return to.