There’s a scene in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey where a glowing fetus floats in space, surrounded by a neon orb and gazing at the Planet Earth below. Now, I’m not going to go into an analysis of A Space Odyssey because it would take way too much time and kill far too many brain cells, but I mention this scene because as I listen to Katya Yonder, this is where I am taken. I don’t mean that I transform into a space fetus, but I do mean that I feel transported to another dimension, to an otherworldly space that seems to defy the laws of gravity and time.
In “Solution,” the second track on her widely regarded album Multiply Intentions, Yonder excels at imagining, mastering, and conveying breath-taking atmosphere. Experimental electronic sounds interweave seamlessly with ethereal vocals that shake with reverb, casting a heavenly light over the music. The age-old dichotomy between science and religion is an intriguing idea that only intensifies as the song unfurls its haunting tendrils. Yonder mixes spacey, electronic sounds with angelic, otherworldly vocals that seem to balance one another perfectly; neither side truly trumps the other, sharing their own dimension. Even when Yonder’s vocals materialize into spoken words, it’s almost as if she is speaking as a divine being. Her voice is unmistakably there, but the words she’s uttering are obscure and elusive, dripping with reverb and enveloped in a ghostly shimmer.
It seems like Yonder is less concerned with making a statement in her lyrics as she is seeking to create an ephemeral world for her listeners. It’s only fitting for someone who is quadrilingual (Yonder speaks Russian as well as English, Japanese, and French) to be the perfect artist to fashion an atmosphere that seems so far removed from Planet Earth. “I have to stop for a while,” she sings unhurriedly, adding to the timeless feel of the song. With her complex layering and production, Yonder lets the music do the talking for itself. No electronic flourish or vocal crescendo seems forced, yet the cosmic size of her sound pushes every boundary. The beauty in “Solutions” is the space that it occupies, a seemingly alternate reality programmed specifically for you, and you alone.
In a sort of Grimes meets Enya way, “Solutions” is a marvel of haunting, echoing vocals and daring, glistening synths. Katya Yonder is an incredible talent whose abilities are on clear display in this song. Not only does she build a song—she builds a world.
