SOPHIA KALOUSTIAN DELIVERS A GORGEOUS EP
An absolutely gorgeous and beautifully honest EP release from Sophia Kaloustian has arrived, and this record blends such intensities and soundscapes with truths and inner thoughts that come spilling out for all to soak in, done with such a unique approach and manner that you end up getting quite attached to that character behind it all.
The Conclusions of Grandeur EP has a unique way of wrapping itself around you and keeping you right where it wants to. The first couple of songs on the release serve as a heavy-handed introduction and are cinematically approached with such gorgeous instrumentation then it's impossible to turn away from it.
"slow dancing, slow destruction" features outstandingly portrayed emotion with a beautiful build and cellos as the main instrument of force behind the drive of everything.
I absolutely fell for this track right away, and this is the second song into the record, which comes just after a short introduction, so once you get this track soaked in, you know that you're in for a vivid musical Journey.
That is exactly what this record delivers. It is soaked in pop, contemporary, singer-songwriter, it's got loads of heart, personality, and these attributes that let her be super vulnerable, but also let her be humanized, so that we can connect with a lot of the things that are going on.
Just after that song is one called "Atmosphere", a track that also has a vast undertone and a cinematic backbone, but is portrayed a little bit differently.
This is almost like an acoustic pop ballad that also speaks many truths and she still gives pieces of herself throughout this song, which seems to be a heavy-handed staple throughout the entire release.
There are plenty of surprises around the corners, and they include theatrical approaches that feel robust.
They also include songs that bring in rock tonality like 'best intentions", which combines that sort of cinematic and almost orchestrated underbelly with a rock overtone and super soulful and powerful vocals.
The vocal performance across this record really hits hard because she sings and performs with such a high level of heart that you can tell everything is 100% authentic.
This is exactly the kind of record that you listen to all the way through so that you don't miss anything.
The whole release feels almost like a concept record where songs interconnect in certain manners, but the real reason to listen to this whole record is that if you don't, you're not going to get the full spectrum of what it has to offer.
There are layers of gorgeous approaches that come a textures, soundscapes, spacious and powerful sets of tones, and it all has that passion behind it in its delivery from the instrumentation to the vocals.
This is something that certainly leaves its mark, and if you do listen to the whole thing, you will be pulled away from whatever you're doing and put in her world for a chunk of time.
I feel like this is what real artistry is about. It's a record with few walls built around it so that you really get a glimpse of who she is as a person and certain kinds of struggles and triumphs that she has been through.
One of my favorite tracks on the record is actually the title track, which closes the record out, and this song is gorgeous.
The track has so much going on in terms of experimental synths, keys, approaches, and just this unique, come outside the box way of letting the record have an element of closure.
This was not quite like anything I've heard before, I'll have to admit.
There's something for everyone, but if you really put on some headphones and sit back, close your eyes, and take this record in, it does something to you.
This was completely outside the norm and was done with an amazing attention to the honesty that was being let out to the point where it feels like this must have been cathartic for Sophia to write and release.
For whoever is listening, it can be very connective and relatable to the point where it might even let memories of your own pop into your head.
You'll have to see what it will do for you by listening. So go do that now.
You won't be disappointed.
