Cymatic

The opening track and Yanling's upcoming 2024 album are titled Cymatic, which refers to the visible patterns created upon matter via their sonic vibratory movements. A way of translating sound waves into visual patterns. These wave-like traces represent the frequencies that our ears interpret as sound. While sound conveys something indescribable, for Yanling, the connection between sound and its visual form symbolizes a deep sense of her inner self. This new work reflects her search for something elusive and intangible—untouchable and out of reach—comparable to an infinite, undulating surge that oscillates back and forth from its origin.

The musical language of Cymatic features extended notes, ambient drones, and sweeping synthesized grandeur, serving as a sound bed for memories that have finally been put to rest. The album's resonant textures produce a radiant vision of a glimmering halo surrounding us all. In contrast, some glitchy elements convey a cold, grainy feeling, reminiscent of the smell of concrete or damp wood. An otherworldly sensation also emerges, akin to the shock from a gust of wind against the flesh or blowing through hair. The album's celestial overtones point to something immense, evoking a sense of insignificance when gazing into the vast night sky.

The cover for the LP, created by artist Nate Flagg, points to this idea in an inscription embedded in the patterns of the artwork. Flagg's inscription, written in an invented language composed through deep listening methods, translates to "Borne by growshrink light the body blows through the house."