New EP from Aliya Lark

London-based pianist and composer Aliya Lark offers an innovative instrumental musical world, built on her musicianship talent and highly creative compositional instincts. First arriving in April last year with her debut single “The Expectation,” she introduced herself as an exciting new voice in the modern instrumental music sphere, offering compositions that felt profoundly personal, cinematic and open to interpretation all at once.

That first release quickly led to her debut EP Sparks, delivering an outing of thoughtful works that blend classical training with ambient aesthetic. Since then, her music has secured well-earned attention, with support from BBC Radio 3 Classic and a spot on Piano Day’s celebrated compilation curated by Spanish label AD21 Music. She’s also brought her sense of sonic storytelling to the stage with the original score for the theatre production Diaries of War, further showcasing her ability to shape mood and story through sound alone.

Now, Aliya Lark returns with Gravity of the Ocean, a six-track EP that marks a graceful continuation of her artistic journey. It’s a six-track instrumental release that draws from the language of post classical and ambient music, sculpting a meditative world through piano, violin, subtle electronics and field recordings. While the tracks are wordless, they speak volumes about longing, distance, memory and a type of emotional endurance that’s deeply meaningful.

The influence of structured minimalism is present, but the EP resists rigidity, capturing a looseness in the phrasing and an openness in the form that invites repeated listens and patient reflection. Aliya’s piano work remains at the heart of the record, often anchoring the mood while ambient textures and delicate string flourishes expand and contract around it.

Opened by “Drowning in the Dark,” the sweep of wind style tones and airy instrumental stretches creates a transportive setting as her soft piano chords enter to cast a subtly melancholic scene. Tinged with the hushed texture of strings, the piece gently develops with quiet lead notes and enveloping layers, offering an immersive slice of minimalist instrumental beauty that’s at once brooding and engrossing.

“White Poppy” follows with a mellow bounce of sustained notes, gradually blossoming with light plinks and dazzling instrumental lines, creative a state of dreamy sonic bliss unlike any other. Title track “Gravity of the Ocean” puts Aliya’s emotive writing on full display with tender bass notes and sparse flickers of top lines, forming a truly mesmeric listening experience from start to finish.

With “Reeds Rustled,” the playful flutter of piano notes are met with intricate string textures to offer a wholly absorbing soundscape that shines with light energy and hypnotic quality. “Cold Shores” arrives with the faintly ominous drone of bass tones and subtly eerie arrangement of piano lines and instrumental swells, forging a stripped back piece tinged with atmosphere.

Closing Gravity of the Ocean with my personal favourite piece from the release “Whirl,” the bright runs of dancing piano leads and hurried energy concludes the release with a hopeful and truly alluring sound. I love the beautiful pace that rises from the composition and uplifting aesthetic that frames Aliya Lark’s exquisite performance talents in a stunning setting, delivering an enchanting finale to her incredible sophomore EP.

Listen to Gravity of the Ocean below