Berlin-based singer and electronic artist Zylva channels themes of hope and recovery on her EP "Antiroom." After the feat of strength that was the release of her debut album "Poems from the Dark" in 2023, Zylva longed for musical and personal companionship, something she found again in Ludwig Wandinger, a fellow Berlin resident who co-produced the EP. In keeping with the heterogeneous approach of her debut, with genres ranging from Avant Pop to Indie and Ambient over the course of 6 tracks, "Antiroom" reflects the breadth of Zylva’s musical spectrum. The title’s double meaning ("Antiroom/Anteroom") refers to spaces where one’s presence (e.g., as a female producer) is not intended, as well as the EP being a precursor to future musings and a harbinger of recovery.

Lyrics by Carina Madsius
Produced by Carina Madsius and Ludwig Wandinger
Mastered by Martin Ruch
Designed by Maximilian Schachtner
©℗ 2023 Squama

The first single, "Blue with Green" is an R’n’B-tinged Pop anthem in which Zylva processes a breakup and the acknowledgement that we’re not ready to sustain certain relationships at a given moment in time. Looking at a self-portrait she painted a few years earlier, the title came to her. Realizing how much worse a place her old self was in then, she came to understand life as a constant process of healing. Bruised Lips is a longing ode to the magic of getting to know someone new, while Rain deals with the angst of losing someone and is an attempt to self-soothe. A catchy, upbeat Cloudpop tune, “Fever Dream” ponders the weirdness of online dating and the illusion of a real connection that’s often present on the notorious apps. During an emotionally difficult time, Zylva, naturally, turned to Tina Turner for adivce. The singer used to do chants to regain her inner strength. When doing the same on her balcony, Zylva used her hands to cover her face, muffling her voice to be thoughtful of her neighbours. This image of holding something as precious and vulnerable as her own voice safely in her hands became an anchor to turn to when in need and let to the title of the beautiful ballad “My Voice in My Hands”. Before releasing her own music, Zylva pursued a career as a classical pianist. Named after the smallest dwarf star in the universe, “J0555-57Ab” is a soothing Ambient tune carried by the solemn tone of her piano.

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