Stream: Drum & Lace, ‘Outsider Complex Part 1’

Kevin Bronson on July 17th, 2019

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Drum & Lace is the name under which L.A.-based Italian composer Sofia Hultquist releases music — compositions that exist in the netherworld between classical and electronica.

The seed for Drum & Lace’s new EP “Semi Songs” (out Friday) was planted in 2017 when Hultquist was asked to compose chamber music for the L.A. collective The Echo Society. With a background in scoring for film, television, theater, dance and fashion — her resumé includes Andrew Rossi’s fashion documnentary “The First Monday in May” and the HBO doc “At the Heart of Gold — Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal” — she sought to craft songs that exuded a deeply personal sense.

“Semi Songs” was written for violin, two cellos, piano and electronics. The music seems a world away from the trip-hop-inspired electronica of Drum & Lace’s 2016 and 2017 EPs, but it exudes palpable tension and cinematic qualities. It might even answer the question: What if you were tasked with composing the score to a movie about your own life?

At Thursday’s EP-release show, Drum & Lace will perform with chamber ensemble and special guests, accompanied by projections, dance and light installations.

Also notable is the art that accompanies the release — a limited-edition book with a graphic score and album notes.

||| Stream: “The Outsider Complex Part 1”