On her latest EP split, awfultune expands her bedroom-pop origins into a vivid blend of glimmering synth-pop, jangly indie rock, and brooding electronic textures. The five-track release moves seamlessly between airy, heart-on-sleeve confessionals and darker, nocturnal soundscapes, where post-punk guitar murmurs and Burial-like atmospherics swirl beneath flickers of percussion.
“It came from a part of me that needed to change, and it felt like unraveling and rebuilding at the same time,” awfultune, the alias of Layla, explains. “I let myself get loud, weird, and ugly, whatever I needed to be. Every track contradicts itself in a way that feels really honest, and that honesty scared me at first. That is why it is called ‘split.’”
Opening track “scare me” weaves steady guitar strums and glimmering synths for an impactful heart-on-sleeve sound, bolstered by reflectively romantic vocal yearning: “I think that we shared something that night,” her vocals let out. A cathartic sense arises in the “just excited to be here” vocal outpouring, admitting to feeling “so scared” but diving into the passion regardless. Further enjoyable vulnerabilities are shown on the ensuing “urmybiggestfear,” opening with a “you’re prettier than me” vocal acknowledgement — then swelling from clanging acoustic strums into an impassioned, anthemic vocal fervency. The EP’s introductory one-two punch grips in its emotive, late-night soundscapes and ruminations on fear and uncertain futures.
Glistening synths and jangling guitars inject a brisker infectiousness on “!!!!jealous” — dazzling especially in its excitable percussive stutters and electro-friendly radiance. Nocturnal traversals continue on “breathe..” as post-punk guitar murmurs meld with shimmering electronic flourishes, invoking a Burial-esque atmospheric enthrallment as the rhythms ease in past the one-minute mark; it’s another gorgeous standout on an EP full of them. Finale “aloneE” is a fully sating send-off, expanding from understated intrigue into buzzing distortion and banging percussion as dreamy vocals convey a longing to connect. split is a gorgeously atmospheric and melodically memorable success from awfultune.
