The last material we heard from Andrea Balency was her recently-released a dark and experimental EP Volcano. Its songs both felt austere and heavy at the same time, and found her mining territory reminiscent of FKA Twigs’ sound (a tired comparison, we must say). That’s why her new single, “Simone,” caught us off guard – it’s the most organic she’s sounded probably since back in the Andrea Balency Trio days.
The song starts with a fingerpicked acoustic guitar, the first sign this is a deviation from her recent work. Her gorgeous voice stands above everything else, as usual, and it sounds straightforward and sweet, especially when she reaches those high notes. “Simone” was co-produced by Rob McAndrews, who also worked with Balency on Volcano, and is the co-founder of James Blake’s 1-800-Dinosaur imprint. On this track, he provides crisp beats and synths that are sometimes noisy, but leave room for Balency’s voice to shine. This is making us sigh continuously.