Popsicle EP / Paria

A four-track EP is a sample – a pre-taste of what we can expect from forthcoming releases. A nibble.
(If English isn’t your first language ‘a nibble’ is a fun word to know and write)

The striking cover image on Paria’s debut EP Popsicle features a green ice lolly on a bright red background – a single bite has already been taken. Perhaps my thoughts were in line with the singers’ symbolic art too.

I’d already had a sweet taste of what Paria has been preparing in her musical kitchen with the single – Disappear, and now I’d get to extend the experience and take a larger bite.

As mentioned, Disappear had already stopped me in my tracks and offers a divine listen of heavenly proportions, without exaggeration. Multi-layered and deftly produced I can’t praise it highly enough.

Summer Blind has all the fragrance of summer. Immersive in depth, the fine production is heard through guitar strings, finger clicks and a playful whistling sample evoking of a country stroll. Paria’s vocals are dreamy throughout.

For me, the wheels slip from the track on the unfortunately named Tragic. It feels disjointed and lyrically compact, especially in relation to the sparkling opening duo. Paria hails from Norway and has roots from Iran, and we hear the clearest cross-pollination on Casual. Her cultural references twisted into the music is something I hope she continues to experiment with.

From the exquisite opening, the EP cools and is sadly not as entirely satisfying as the first bite. However, its clear from the first two tracks Paria has everything to create unique soundscapes of internationally adored proportions. Now that sounds delicious.