Upon listening to Nocturnes, the latest EP from Bristol based artist, Maria Milewska, it’s difficult not to slip into her lush, downtempo tracks. Within the first few seconds of her opening track, Pharmakon, the listener is greeted with lovely vocal melodies reminiscent of early Thievery Corporation and Zero 7.
However, there is a stark difference between Milewska and her downtempo counterparts. True to the EP’s name, Nocturnes features a darker and at times a hopeless feel to it. Remember the first time you had your heart broken? Take that raw emotion and pour it into a four-track EP. From the distantly placed violins and scattered beats carrying Vaults, you can’t help but wonder what promoted Milewska to create such a release.
Half way through the EP and things take a slight change for a more upbeat sound. Her vocals are still cascading over the instrumentation, yet the piano melody in Ghost gives a sense of change and a direction towards a lighter atmosphere.
When she isn’t busy running a violin shop, Milewska is crafting music for other projects outside of her solo career.
“Bristol is a fantastically creative place and I am usually involved in a multitude of collaborations and musical endeavors. Songwriting has always been my first love, but I also write music for fantasy role playing games! Its a little random but very fun.”