Say hello to the sultry, the sensuous and the seductive. London-based songwriter Karolina Kolodziej – AKA ACTRESE – is back to lure your current earworm away to her latest indie-pop gem ‘Vivid But Vague’.
Raised by two virtuosic parents with a penchant for all things guitar, ACTRESE discovered a fondness for upbeat, dance-evoking bops and thus, a passion for music was born. Finding herself longing to perform in several school plays as a child, it wasn’t until ACTRESE found the works of, alt-indie ensemble, Bastille that ignited the drive to write original music.
Learning that the process of song-writing helped to rationalise her thoughts and emotions, she set out to embellish her talent with a powerful message that music can truly unite all walks of people.
That being said, welcome to the atelier of the avant-garde, the alluring ambience of ‘Vivid But Vague’.
As the introductory verse effuses over the silence like melting, rose-scented wax, the listener is acquainted with the isolated vocal talent of ACTRESE. Enriched, full-bodied and hypnotic, the initial instrumental tacet acts as a dais to hoist up the Junoesque voice of the alt-pop artist. Her smooth, smoky timbre – the orb in one hand – and her seamlessly haunting, andante melody – the sceptre in the other – is truly the crown jewel atop this queenly single.
After the lull of the opening verse has enchanted your ears, you are sent on a balletic glide across the deeply pulsing resonance of the 808-style drumbeat. The thick percussive textures of the instrumentation, alongside ACTRESE’s dulcet vocal tonality, enter into a mesmerising mirage; representing the poetic realism and authenticity within ACTRESE’s lyrics.
Inspired by the music of The Weeknd and Lana Del Ray, ACTRESE has concocted a shadowy blend of dance-rooted dynamics and psychedelic-spiced, feminine charm that is truly as bewitching as it is unique.
Bolstered by a quaint, romantic bassline, the track is carried into a phantom-raising diminuendo that ripples outward, fading into the silence. It feels as if the listener has been left in a cold ocean of mellifluous introspection and there aren’t enough words to express how much I adore it.
When I imagine the ideal indie-pop track, this is what I envision.
‘Vivid But Vague’ being the first track of 2022 for ACTRESE, I am eager to see what she does next. Following a string of successes from singles ‘COSMO’ and ‘It Might Be About You’, I can only expect great things to come for ACTRESE .
As ACTRESE advises her listeners to always listen to their gut, I am going to adhere to that notion and get to binge-listening the rest of her tracks.
Till next time.
ACTRESE’s Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1mZr416Q2sQuXWKBjVuqCV?si=3ZzEWvM9TWS1QJUy5sT6Lw
ACTRESE’s SoundCloud:
https://soundcloud.com/actrese
ACTRESE’s Facebook:
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