JiN is back with another release and this time she’s gracing our ears with the dulcet tones of ‘Among Flowers’. And to be honest, it’s been a long time coming for fans of Cairo’s favourite ambient queen, with her last release ‘Mechanical Love’ dropping in 2021, and lest we forget Wolf Fang Midi occupying most of 2022, the synthwave power duo seeing Jin teaming up with Shunus to create some masterpieces the 80’s would be proud of. But today we’re focusing on ambience.
‘Among Flowers’ opens with the enigmatic ‘Interlude’, featuring glitchy drums and swelling synths setting the tone for the entire album. Jin delivers her breathy, reverb drenched vocals throughout, the introspective lyrical content is sure to warm the hearts of even the most hardened bedroom dwelling listener.
Next up we’re greeted by the downtempo drums of ‘Classified’, giving the listener a Massive Attack inspired sonic journey to the track ‘Raw’ keeping the same energy and solidifying the album's vibe throughout. ‘Among Flowers’ embraces a deceptive simplicity that conceals its intricate depths. Jin skillfully intertwines expansive and vibrant tracks with repetitive compositions, revealing the allure of unease and the symbiotic relationship between beauty and discomfort. This masterful balance prevents the album from dissolving into a mere ambient haze, ensuring a captivating experience that defies expectations.
She showcases this brilliance most prominently in the tracks ‘In love with you’ and ‘Peter And Her’. In ‘In love with you,’ a solitary bass and drum interaction, picking up edgier and metallic layers that bring a tinge of unease. Amidst intricate microtonal strings roomy drums of an industrial landscape, a disconcerting beauty emerges. On the other hand, ‘Peter And Her’ consists of a carefully chosen echoey vibe. Its ethereal, choir-like synth whispers through the air, evoking a sense of angelic tranquillity intertwined with the sub bass that drives the track throughout.
Stand out tracks for us are ‘Peter And Her’, the bouncing bass and multi tracked vocals of ‘Lost Kite’, and the trippiness of ‘Miro (Bo2olk)’ is a pleasure to listen to.
‘Miro (Bo2olk)’ closes the album as elusively as it began, with several moments of brightness before ultimately retreating into the trickle of synth and background ambience. Jin has a knack for creating musical worlds that leave the listener's mind churning long past its end, grasping for resolution, when that very thing exists in its irresolution.
