Photo Credit: Jaclyn Campanaro
Info: Despite its sonic magnitude, Salt never surrenders its intimacy. Salt was self-produced by Vidmar, who also played and recorded the majority of its instrumentation. The beautiful result is a testament to craftsmanship executed almost single-handedly by one author. Rife with tender imperfections, at its core Vidmar’s heartrending vocals are still as silken as ever, as the singer reaches new heights.
Lyrically, Vidmar explores the ambiguous territory in which many so-called 'millennials' find themselves, hovering somewhere amidst a pre-internet nostalgia and post-recession tech absorption. He takes an honest and unflinching look at the tension between growth and decay, existential-level FOMO, and the nagging inertia of time.
The gentleness of Shy Girls' Salt is presented in an instant with a just over one minute piano and vocal solo, a soft opening that is continued, but not indefinitely as we soon find out, on second track, 'You Like The Pain Too'. Those Rn'B stylings are evident, but we're also brought into a lovely electronic vocal effect, snapping beats and claps and the powerful emotion of Vidmar's voice.
An unexpected and welcome turn in sound comes courtesy of 'Watercolor Dreams', smooth atmospherics and electro swings are accompanied by a nice deep-toned guitar riff, reminiscent of an alternative reality version of SBTRKT. 'Trivial Motion' is a sweet and funky 80's infused affair which featured here in one of our previous international playlists, an ode to nihilism which is a strong standout on Salt.
After the bristling dance track 'Say You Will', Shy Girls moves back to the bread and butter of Rn'B pop on 'What If I Can', it's a most easy on the ear listen, one you can just let do all of the work for you as a listener, a warm and most pleasurable experience, with the tracks final quarter really setting it apart with the arrival of a one-minute brass segment.
Similar to 'What If I Can', 'I Am Only A Man' is quite pop-oriented and ensures we remain fully aware of where Shy Girls forte lies. Salt finishes strongly with the beautiful 'Collecting', reminding very much of Perfume Genius, it's heavenly and spiritually enriching in a music sense, closing of a very enjoyable from the Portland, Oregan artist.
Look / Like / Listen & Follow:
Website: http://shygirlsmusic.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shygirlsmusic/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4oFdxup3UmMDNoLLITyDrs
Twitter: https://twitter.com/shygirls
