Out Of Reality EP

1. Out Of Reality (feat. Alejandra Deheza and Adele Stein)
2. Body Control
3. Asher
4. I'm Gonna Get You
5. Out Of Reality (Skream Remix)
6. The Endless Knot

Detachment isn’t always detrimental; sometimes you have to step outside to get a better view. Lauren Flax knows this - as a DJ, producer and songwriter, her discography is notoriously genre-defiant, consisting of an impressive array of solo tracks, collaborations, and remixes. The most recent of these - her mesmerizing take on Pale Blue’s “Breathe” - saw her experimenting with a new style of writing. “I wanted to explore that sound more,” Flax explains, “more of a synth exploration, textures with less beats.” The pared-down songwriting approach lent itself to thematic considerations as well: she’d been thinking about the repetitive nature of the life cycle - the Indian concept of Samsara - and felt a general disappointment at humanity’s lack of progress. On her new EP Out Of Reality, she washes that disappointment in lush sonic hues, stepping outside the quotidien for a new perspective.

Much of Out Of Reality’s cohesion comes from Flax’s expansive production, using simple elements to craft intricate backdrops for the questions posed by her songs. On the EP’s titular track, Alejandra Deheza (School of Seven Bells)’s crystalline vocals are woven against a delicate tapestry of arpeggiated keys, sparse percussion and haunting cello. There are moments of disillusionment and dread, too, such as the looming refrain on “I’m Gonna Get You” and the mournful “I don’t want to be stuck here” on “The Endless Knot”. They’re transported, however, out of the mundane realm of the living by Flax’s surreal, airy production. “Body Control” reflects this suspended ideal masterfully - Flax ups the tempo halfway through and then brings it back down, slowly, to its initial hypnotic pace, a celebration of a woman’s sexual agency and right to bodily autonomy. 

Though its themes span beyond the scope of our current socio-political moment, Out Of Reality feels, right now, like an especially tantalizing proposition. Pandemic-driven escapism has bred a new crop of otherworldly music designed to transport the listener somewhere better. But Flax isn’t interested in escapism for its own sake - there’s still work to be done here on Earth, after all. Instead, through a combination of live instrumentation and ethereal synths, Out Of Reality grants us a respite from the real so we can return to it with a clear head.