Skylarka drops new album ‘Somnorine’

From the digital side of New York’s creative scene comes Skylarka, a musician, producer and opossum-themed virtual streamer whose artistic output takes shape between the analogue ghosts of the 80s and the infinite sprawl of the internet. Originally, her creative origins were formed in the city’s punk basements and jazz clubs but after developing long COVID, her life and music took a radical turn. Unable to tour or perform in the traditional sense, she reinvented herself online, transforming isolation into a new form of connection through streaming, community and immersive electronic music production.

Before she was Skylarka, she was part of a different world entirely; a fixture in punk and jazz circles, she cut her teeth in a world of live performance and improvisation, environments that buzzed with pure sonic energy. That drive still courses through her work today, even as it’s filtered through the slick architecture of electronic production.

Now a rising digital artist, Skylarka has been making an impact in the virtual sphere and winning over fans in the real world. Her sound presents a chiptune-infused dark synthwave that stitches retro vibes with crisp sound design, rippling in the overlap between organic, analogue and digital, framing the tension between human imperfection and computer exactness, between the tangible and the ethereal.

First stepping out under the Skylarka moniker in 2020, she unveiled her highly original sonic vision with the debut single “Pastel Superhighway,” which she followed up with a string of well-received tracks in the build up to her first LP, Radish IV: Digital Frontier, which landed in October 2023. Following her eponymous 2024 single, “Skylarka,” she now brings us her latest release with her sophomore record titled Somnorine, a nine-track outing built from dreams, quite literally. Each track is based on a real dream Skylarka experienced, with every compositional and production choice crafted to mirror the emotional atmosphere of those subconscious scenes.

In keeping with her digital ethos, Somnorine was created live on Twitch, where her growing community became part of the creative process. Viewers watched her build tracks in real time, offering feedback, lyrical suggestions and encouragement, resulting in a groundbreaking endeavour that entirely dissolves the borders between artist and audience during the creation process. The first dream transmission comes with the aptly titled “Half-Remembered,” where the soft plod of steady synth notes gently develops with the subtly ominous pulse of tones and bright leads to form an absorbing synthwave soundscape.

“Cybernetic Fist (Maru Malandra Theme)” jumps straight into a steady groove where the shuffle of percussion propels layers of colourful synths to cast a spacey listening experience that’s at once hypnotic and invigorating. “A Man Beyond Death” drifts into focus with the playful flicker of notes before the lively rattle of synth and taps of percussion ushers in a vocal samples before setting off on a driving instrumental synth pop jam brimming with dancing melodic leads and danceable rhythms.

Other highlights on the album come with tracks like “Hero’s Homecoming” with its bright flutter of hazy synth timbres and enveloping textures, slipping into a gently rolling groove with the rustle of pattering percussion and stacked layers of overlapping synth lines. “The Witch House” leaps into a dark scene of intense vocal elements and intricate instrumentation as battering drum shots maintain a gripping forward motion throughout.

Closing the record with “Mo(u)rning Lazarus,” Skylarka’s punk origins spill out into a belted punk rock anthem where crunching guitars, splashing drums and commanding vocal performance collide to deliver a thrilling finale to Skylarka’s sensational sophomore LP. With Somnorine, Skylarka invites us to drift alongside her through dreams, through darkness, through the strange beauty of the digital night while presenting a record that proves that even in isolation, creation can be communal; even in virtual spaces, humanity still shines brightly.

Listen to Somnorine below