Aves appeared on BlackPlastic back towards the end of 2023 with their collaboration with Icelandic vocalist, JFDR, on Hunting Points.
Here, on new single Silent Solitude, the Helsinki-based trio are back with another collaboration. This time, vocals come from Finnish singer-songwriter Markus Perttula, whose delicate falsetto glints with a glossy, translucent quality.
Hunting Points was a gentle embrace — heavenly vocals combined with slowly paced melodies to create something calming and beautiful. In contrast, Silent Solitude is a slowly heated slab of crystalline synth pop. Ethereal electronics shimmer gently atop a tightly tight-yet-simple bass and percussion backing, vocal snippets looping as the song slowly carves out its own space in your mind.
It takes a-minute-and-a-half to get to the vocal proper, and by the time Silent Solitude gets there, it has earned your full attention. Much like Hunting Points, this is a mood piece, and it invites you to luxuriate inside the atmosphere it creates. As the song nears its conclusion, it briefly drops into a stuttering, filtered loop, like a cd-player skipping, before giving the floor back to Perttula’s impressive vocal. I can’t help but wish he just got to carry on, indefinitely.
The way Aves create a sense of moment and space is purposeful, as they describe in relation to this song:
‘Being present means embracing the current moment, allowing yourself to disconnect from distractions and fully engage with what's happening now. It involves focusing on what truly matters, letting go of unnecessary worries or minor details that might cloud your perception. Ultimately, it's recognizing that in the grand scheme of things, many of the small stressors or concerns fade away when we prioritize the present and cherish what's essential in our lives.’