Since the dawn of humankind, the dazzling spectacle of celestial lights shifting overhead has evoked ecstatic admiration with its ability to entrance our attention and stoke the fires of our deepest dreams, fantasies, and aspirations, giving birth to countless ideas and opening the gates to creation. In many ways, this is an effect which music has the power to instill in us as well.
On January 24th, violinist Alicia Kiah released her debut EP, Stargazer, a five-track foray into electronic music that bridges classical string composition with danceable deep sub sound design and takes listeners on a captivating sonic journey from the first track to the last. Read on to discover more about this multifaceted musician and dive into the lustrous soundscape of her first solo release.
The Woman Behind The Music
Based in Pennsylvania, Alicia Kiah is a classically trained musician, visual artist, and frequent collaborator in the electronic music scene. First picking up her instrument at the age of four and going on to study at the renowned Peabody Institute Conservatory of Music, she has worked in production and recording since 2011 and ventured into sound design in 2012. Since then, she has collaborated with a number of exciting artists like Geode, Truth, Sorrow, KOAN Sound, Thought Process, Kursa, and more.
This past year, she released the highly anticipated “Got Something to Say?” with Kursa to wide acclaim. The pair also released a bootleg mix from their collaborative side project, SNOOZi, along with “Find the Note,” the project’s first official track, on Dome of Doom’s 2024 Summer Compilation.
Citing inspiration from composers like Brahms and Schoenberg, producers like Sorrow, 123Mrk, and Breakage, jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery, trip hop giants Massive Attack, early dubstep, and modern acts Alex Isley and Doja Cat, Kiah has funneled hints of these far-ranging musical styles into a cosmic confluence of her own distinguished sound, each track including unique foley recorded by the artist and utilized in her production, which culminated in this intimate debut release, Stargazer.
“I wrote this EP with the intention of it being introspective and contemplative. The kind of EP you would listen to on a walk or bike ride when you are self-reflecting on your own experiences.”-Alicia Kiah
Album Art
The artwork for the EP gives an impression at once floral, stellar, gelid, and electric. It was designed by artist Uriel Lee (@partofurielsworld) in collaboration with Kiah. Inspired by an obscure pick found at Amoeba Music in Los Angeles, Kiah engaged Lee and the two artists developed imagery and an idea to capture the EP’s production style and sleek sound, incorporating Kiah’s passion for lilies and the color blue through the lens of Lee’s modernized Y2K punk aesthetic.
Track Analysis
The EP starts with “Fuschia,” a steady, rippling track of textured rhythms that cradle the listener and promote a mantric sway. Synaesthesia is at play as the eponymous color morphs into movement and sound, the subdued radiance of a flower blossoming to take its first breath of light.
“Ice Palace” weaves with a cozy, headnod appeal. Tickled with crisp and alluring intricacies, the track moves elegantly through a combination of echoic drum patterns and sweeping oscillations.
With the title track, “Stargazer,” we’re taken into a realm of sidereal wonder, a disorienting yet undoubtedly calming night forest of imaginative beauty. This track was created using violin recordings that Kiah wrote using blooper and mood pedals from Chase Bliss with a Collision Devices Nocturnal pedal. Pizzicato notes glimmer over graceful string-work like distinct constellations, spectral images formed against the liberated canvas of the listener’s mind.
“Nightveil” is the EP’s central showcase of the classically trained artist’s skilled work with violin and viola. One feels transported to the banks of the Seine on a summer night, a snow-capped cabin in the dense woods of Maine, a symphony hall, all at once. There is something timeless here, an ethereal warp and gentle ablution that heaves a sigh of ultimate peace as worries fade in the wake of pure presence.
Stargazer closes with “Taking My Time,” a magnetic track that utilizes a heartfelt vocal sample, repeated zephyrs, and steady drums to tie the EP with a proper bow of passionate downtempo. It announces an overcoming of the fears involved in chasing one’s goals, the same fears that often impede the acts we set out to complete. In the artist’s own words, this track “highlights my own journey with anxiety. It’s about persevering…and finding the confidence to put yourself out there.” We, at River Beats, are happy she did just that.
What’s Next
With the release of this first EP, we can expect many more announcements from Alicia Kiah over the course of 2025, from show appearances, collaborative performances, features, and releases to come. Find the full EP on Bandcamp and SoundCloud for your listening pleasure and make sure to follow the links below to stay up to date on everything this promising new solo artist has in store for the world of music going forward.
Follow Alicia Kiah:
Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | SoundCloud
Since the dawn of humankind, the dazzling spectacle of celestial lights shifting overhead has evoked ecstatic admiration with its ability to entrance our attention and stoke the fires of our deepest dreams, fantasies, and aspirations, giving birth to countless ideas and opening the gates to creation. In many ways, this is an effect which music has the power to instill in us as well.
On January 24th, violinist Alicia Kiah released her debut EP, Stargazer, a five-track foray into electronic music that bridges classical string composition with danceable deep sub sound design and takes listeners on a captivating sonic journey from the first track to the last. Read on to discover more about this multifaceted musician and dive into the lustrous soundscape of her first solo release.
The Woman Behind The Music
Based in Pennsylvania, Alicia Kiah is a classically trained musician, visual artist, and frequent collaborator in the electronic music scene. First picking up her instrument at the age of four and going on to study at the renowned Peabody Institute Conservatory of Music, she has worked in production and recording since 2011 and ventured into sound design in 2012. Since then, she has collaborated with a number of exciting artists like Geode, Truth, Sorrow, KOAN Sound, Thought Process, Kursa, and more.
This past year, she released the highly anticipated “Got Something to Say?” with Kursa to wide acclaim. The pair also released a bootleg mix from their collaborative side project, SNOOZi, along with “Find the Note,” the project’s first official track, on Dome of Doom’s 2024 Summer Compilation.
Citing inspiration from composers like Brahms and Schoenberg, producers like Sorrow, 123Mrk, and Breakage, jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery, trip hop giants Massive Attack, early dubstep, and modern acts Alex Isley and Doja Cat, Kiah has funneled hints of these far-ranging musical styles into a cosmic confluence of her own distinguished sound, each track including unique foley recorded by the artist and utilized in her production, which culminated in this intimate debut release, Stargazer.
Album Art
The artwork for the EP gives an impression at once floral, stellar, gelid, and electric. It was designed by artist Uriel Lee (@partofurielsworld) in collaboration with Kiah. Inspired by an obscure pick found at Amoeba Music in Los Angeles, Kiah engaged Lee and the two artists developed imagery and an idea to capture the EP’s production style and sleek sound, incorporating Kiah’s passion for lilies and the color blue through the lens of Lee’s modernized Y2K punk aesthetic.
Track Analysis
The EP starts with “Fuschia,” a steady, rippling track of textured rhythms that cradle the listener and promote a mantric sway. Synaesthesia is at play as the eponymous color morphs into movement and sound, the subdued radiance of a flower blossoming to take its first breath of light.
“Ice Palace” weaves with a cozy, headnod appeal. Tickled with crisp and alluring intricacies, the track moves elegantly through a combination of echoic drum patterns and sweeping oscillations.
With the title track, “Stargazer,” we’re taken into a realm of sidereal wonder, a disorienting yet undoubtedly calming night forest of imaginative beauty. This track was created using violin recordings that Kiah wrote using blooper and mood pedals from Chase Bliss with a Collision Devices Nocturnal pedal. Pizzicato notes glimmer over graceful string-work like distinct constellations, spectral images formed against the liberated canvas of the listener’s mind.
“Nightveil” is the EP’s central showcase of the classically trained artist’s skilled work with violin and viola. One feels transported to the banks of the Seine on a summer night, a snow-capped cabin in the dense woods of Maine, a symphony hall, all at once. There is something timeless here, an ethereal warp and gentle ablution that heaves a sigh of ultimate peace as worries fade in the wake of pure presence.
Stargazer closes with “Taking My Time,” a magnetic track that utilizes a heartfelt vocal sample, repeated zephyrs, and steady drums to tie the EP with a proper bow of passionate downtempo. It announces an overcoming of the fears involved in chasing one’s goals, the same fears that often impede the acts we set out to complete. In the artist’s own words, this track “highlights my own journey with anxiety. It’s about persevering…and finding the confidence to put yourself out there.” We, at River Beats, are happy she did just that.
What’s Next
With the release of this first EP, we can expect many more announcements from Alicia Kiah over the course of 2025, from show appearances, collaborative performances, features, and releases to come. Find the full EP on Bandcamp and SoundCloud for your listening pleasure and make sure to follow the links below to stay up to date on everything this promising new solo artist has in store for the world of music going forward.
Follow Alicia Kiah:
Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | SoundCloud
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