Noémi Büchi
Exuvie
-OUS
Noémi Büchi is shedding her skin. Following a trilogy of releases about the materiality of sound—Matière, Matter and Does It Still Matter—her more recent titles offer none-too-subtle indicators of an ongoing metamorphosis. Her latest EP was called Liquid Bones and now she’s named her new album Exuvie, a derivation of the Latin term for “what has been shed.” More than just an evolution, the LP feels like a rebirth, with Büchi’s emerging form showcasing a wide range of musical and creative possibilities.
To put it another way, Büchi is having fun. The Matter series was intensely academic, a long-term investigation into physicality and time that incorporated field recordings, cutting-edge electronics and Romantic classical music. In that context, Exuvie’s influences are surprising: Büchi namechecks late Romanticism again, but also cites video game soundtracks, anime and hip-hop. What she’s making is still serious, but it’s serious about riffing on pop music.
With its dark atmosphere and shapeshifting synths, album opener “I was almost there” isn’t too far from Büchi’s earlier releases, but one thing stands out: the beat is simple and repetitive, providing a sense of head-nodding momentum that’s rare in her discography. The third track, “the cryptic precision,” is an even clearer sign that something’s different, as its swaggering rhythm, clanging piano and melodic synths bring to mind honest-to-god pop acts. The standout is “dislocated bodies,” which is built from a piano loop and vocals that have been chopped and processed. “I’ve had quite the day,” repeats a female voice, who then insists that she’s not a ballerina. It’s a strange and addicting concoction, completely unlike anything that Büchi has made before. Her new form, it seems, wants to play.
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