ORCHA - "REFLECTIONS" LP

SUNGENRE:

Only with his two-decade background would Matt Sheers be able to push the violin into the electronic synthpop sound of his musical endeavour ORCHA. The independent Melbourne-based artist states all the sounds in his songs are created using violin, vocals, drums and bass. In fact, the majority of sounds are made from the violin, warped and manipulated to resemble synths. ORCHA’s debut EP Bodybound was released in 2017, and now he’s back with a debut full-length album Reflections, to be released November 20.

Reflections is more refined, and explores more territory than Bodybound. This upcoming album continues to showcase the violin in a unique way. Although the four released singles “Falling”, “Reverie”, “Atlas” and “Euphoria” are the strongest tracks of the album, Sheers does retain a flair for the dramatic with a pause and release of the drops in many of Reflections tracks. The instruments (what sounds like synths but is warped violin) are layered in a way that it is possible to hear every sound. They don’t always retain a coherent and refined sound but more of separate sounds layered together – except for the vocals. Sheers has an interesting way of modifying the vocals on the track to make them sound like they too have been warped into a synth and blended seamlessly with the backing instruments.