Brand new single from Knife Emoji

Minneapolis-based newcomers Knife Emoji are rapidly rising as one of the most intriguing acts in the independent music sphere. Formed by multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Daniel Rosen and joined by Joshua Parlanti, Taylor James Donskey and Ryan Vee, the project draws on their shared sonic vision to deliver something entirely new.

Built with experimentation and texture, Knife Emoji blend 12-string guitars in unique tunings, spectral synth lines and layers of field recordings into something that feels otherworldly and still based in emotion. Their debut single “Eastern Wind, Pt. 1,” arrived earlier this year and quickly turned heads, introducting the band’s sonic fingerprint; at once organic and electronic, danceable and gentle.

Quickly followed up with a string of impressive tracks, they now bring us their latest release with their new single titled “The Laboratory.” Revolving around the idea of breaking rules rather than following them, “The Laboratory” takes inspiration from left-field artists like Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear, as well as the history of jazz improvisation.

With Daniel at the wheel, the track marks a moment of reinvention, after more than a decade on the jazz touring circuit, he sought to step away from burnout and re-engage with music from a place of curiosity, not exhaustion. That context flows through every second of “The Laboratory,” it’s a composition that’s as much about feel as it is about structure. Recorded during idyllic cabin sessions and studio time at River Rock Studios, the track is embedded with the sounds of the world around them such as birdsong, waves and ambient outdoor textures which wrap around shimmering synths and layered harmonies.

Brought in by the strike of drums, the gentle patter of percussion and intricate plucks of instrumentation form an immersive arrangement that flows with lilting sway as hushed vocal leads enter to spin delicate melodies above. With the pulse of bass and steady groove, the track jumps with shifting rhythms to gather a hurried pace as the song glides through elegant rise and fall, peppered with graceful instrumental flourishes.

Capturing a jazz-tinged, rock-inflected folk pop soundscape, “The Laboratory” delivers a highly original and thoroughly engaging listening experience from start to finish. As they continue to go from strength to strength on what’s sure to be their breakout year, Knife Emoji firmly plant themselves on the map of must watch new artists to arrive on the music scene.

Listen to The Laboratory below

More from Music

---

Editor Picks

---