Aotearoa electronica artist Frau Knotz has released her first single of 2024, the enigmatic and enchanting new track ‘Odyssey I’.

Following the success of her 2023 singles ‘Runway of Reality’ and ‘Cellular’, this release puts on full display Frau Knotz’s drive to consistently push boundaries. An ethereal and mysterious piece, ‘Odyssey I’ showcases what Frau Knotz does best; emotive storytelling through vocal performance amongst unchartered sonic realms.

A detuned 5-note piano figure emerges from the ocean’s depths to expose a hushed, gorgeous vocal, each sung phrase spaced perfectly to let the story unfold and the soundscape to flourish. A song about the unknown depths of the ocean, lyrically ‘Odyssey I’ is through-composed and freeform, a nod to Caroline Polachek’s ‘Pretty In Possible’. Rhythmically elusive, the track percolates with disquiet as subtle, rootless drums beckon the ear to sink deeper into the song until sudden stabs of punchy sub bass burst the dreamlike soundscape, alerting the listener to a sense of sinister danger.

“This piece was composed over 4 Saturday evenings, as an exercise in production. The vocal line is completely improvised with both the melody and lyrics sung in one take, during a single stream of consciousness. The repetitive arpeggiation was essential for getting lost inside the song, to sail over a hypnotic groove in a way that feels good but is entirely unpredictable.” – Frau Knotz (Lauren Nottingham)

‘Odyssey I’ is a tantalising glimpse into the musical brilliance that lies ahead for her debut EP Nextraterrestrial – set for release in August. Lauren explains: “A consecutive series of 7 vignettes, this EP is a snapshot in time; a documentation of my production journey of 2021-2022. It’s taken years to get to this point, so it’s really special to finally start sharing what I’ve been working on over the past 3 years.”

Frau Knotz ushers in a spellbinding 3-dimensional visual world for her debut EP, announcing her collaboration with Halfofnothing (Blue Hamel), an LA-based, Christchurch born animation artist and creative director who has worked with the likes of Childish Gambino, Kylie Jenner and Kanye West as well as iconic brands such as Adidas and Louis Vuitton. The first piece of this surrealist puzzle has been revealed with the music video for ‘Odyssey I’ featuring an avatar of herself falling through the depths of the ocean.

Freshly mastered by Joshua Llewellyn at Downbeat Mastering and co-produced and mixed by Sam Johnson at Rhythm Ace Studio, ‘Odyssey I’ takes a deep dive into what lies below, through a maximalist lense; juxtaposing muffled, ambient soundscapes with rarified vocal production, baptised in booming kicks and sub-bass that crash like the moment a 3 tonne, 25-foot shark leapt out of the sea and landed on Quint’s fishing vessel in ‘Jaws’ – “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”

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