ASHWARYA Walks Us Through Her Excellent Debut ‘Nocturnal Hours’
One of the most highly anticipated debuts of the year has arrived.
You’d be hard pressed to find an ‘Artists to Watch’ piece this year that didn’t include ASHWARYA. The young Melburnian pop artist has been steadily drip-feeding incredible singles since her debut track ‘Psycho Hole’ appeared last year.
Now, her debut EP has landed. Twisting, dark, brooding, manic — NOCTURNAL HOURS is an arresting listen, and will only accelerate her rise through Australia’s pop scene.
“[It] reflects on the varied thoughts and emotions I’ve experienced that lingers into the early hours of the morning,” ASHWARYA told Music Junkee. “It explores the vulnerable moments and the darkness that can come with it, but also how that can be used as a strength to move forward and take control. This EP speaks to the type of artist I am — someone who likes to meld different sounds and hopefully keep people guessing.”
ASHWARYA’s given us the inside skinny on the making and meaning of NOCTURNAL HOURS — dive into it track-by-track below.
‘Psycho Hole’
This is a song that plays with space and time. It takes you on a journey from the darkest of thoughts to the exhilarating feeling of fighting against them. It’s those negative voices in your head that inherently become this deep-seated anxiety, forming into what feels like another person controlling you, tormenting you, almost teasing you into this trap…when really that person is just you.
‘Biryani’
This was such a fun song to make. It was actually inspired by my mum’s biryani. There’s something kind of cool about the connection of food and love. Your favourite food can bring you so much warmth and happiness, and with my mum’s biryani it gave me that feeling of home and comfort, somewhat similar to how a person can make you feel when you love them.
‘Comin@Me’
This is so badass. I loved the process of making this song. It takes you through the toxic cycle of constantly coming back to someone who betrayed you and continues to hurt you. The song calls for confrontation, which eventually leads to the downfall of the relationship. The end of the song takes a turn to a more vulnerable side, showing that regardless of the pain this person has inflicted, it will always be challenging to let them go for good.
‘To The Night’ feat. Vic Mensa
Goes through the motions of taking charge of the present and owning your truth. It’s about triumphing over personal or external obstacles that may hold you back. It’s a constant battle, but I hope people can see themselves as the main character in this song, coming through in total command.
‘Hide You Up’
I wanted this song to lyrically feel like a crime story, like I needed to do something really bad in order to get over someone. Sometimes we can run around in circles never being able to heal because we keep coming back to the same people unless we drastically do something to stop ourselves. That’s where this idea of hiding someone up for good, came from.
‘Love Again’
‘Love Again’ is probably my favourite song I’ve ever written because of how daunting it was for me to get so vulnerable. I find myself reflecting on the end of a complicated and bittersweet relationship, doubting I will ever be able to give myself to someone so irrevocably, as I did in the past. Deciding to walk away from someone you love is never easy, and I hope people can connect to this song like I do.
ASWARYA’s debut EP NOCTURNAL HOURS is out now Noize Recordings.