Moist ‘Lavine’ Review: Swedish electronic artist soothes the senses on latest release.

“I wanna make music that you can listen to and enjoy and also have in the background as ambient music when you have a deep conversation with your best friend.” That’s Swedish producer/composer David Elfström Lilja describing Lavine, the latest release from his electronic project Moist (released via I/O Music).

And it’s an apt description for a collection of soothing soundscapes that fits in any environment where one needs time for quiet reflection or one-on-one social interaction.

The album, which features Swedish songstress Maria Marcus, begins with Saga, a breathy piano-based track which sets the oceanic tone for what’s to follow.

Next up is the trip-hoppish Traces, which belies its anxious lyrics with immersive, billowing atmosphere that acts like a sonic muscle relaxer, releasing tension through a bath of synth textures and shuffling beats.

Firefly’s cinematic tone has a dark majesty, full of echoing trilling vocals, pounding percussion and icy soundscapes, while Berlin offers an uplifting percolating beat full of deep emotive power. Words is a touching ballad, flecked with backwards synths and buzzing keyboard bleeps.

Lilja stated in the album’s press release that Lavine “emerged from many years of mental illness since finishing the last album. So the release of this album somewhat marks a new phase in life for me. Many of the songs were made in a very dark place, even if the music itself doesn’t sound so dark.”

Perhaps that’s the album’s secret weapon–tracks like Cold and She have a slight autumnal gloom, with hints of sunshine seeping through, offering powerful melancholic counterpoint. And single World’s Collide is the most propulsive and energy driven song of the bunch, with a sinewy keyboard groove burrowing alongside Marcus’s gliding vocals.

Lavine is impressive in that keeps a hermetic tone throughout, all without becoming monotonous, offering just enough shades and variations on a theme to evolve slowly, which creates an immersive experience for the listener, allowing them to attune to varying frequencies while being lulled into a sonic trance.