Lina K.O. - “Arrhythmia”
We’ve said it before and we’re just gonna keep on saying it: if an artist mentions Julien Baker as an inspiration or as a comparison, we will drop everything and have a listen. With that in mind, we would like you all to meet Lina K.O., a Brooklyn-based artist who specializes in melancholic, alt/ indie works of art.
The track that has caught our attention is called “Arrhythmia,” a droning, atmospheric number, soaked in that sweet, sweet reverb and not only reminiscent of Baker, but also the grandiose and cinematic works of Novo Amor, personal faves at UpToHear. And though the instrumental in “Arrhythmia” is absolutely glorious, the star of this show is undoubtedly the vocal work from Lina K.O. (we believe that “K.O.” might be short for “knocking the vocal performance out of the park…” We have our best detectives looking into it).
At about halfway through its course, “Arrhythmia” doubles in width, completely saturating every bit of real estate available inside of your headphones. And Lina K.O. was not joking about the “melancholic” part– this song will reach considerably deep inside of you and we recommend playing it for the people in your life that you suspect are robots– if they are not moved, they are not human. Surround yourself with better people. Actual people. Or just listen alone.
After hearing “Arrhythmia,” you, like us, may find yourself tempted to seek out Lina K.O.’s previous work. On Spotify, you will find two more tracks, “Laundry Line” and “Still in Summer,” from Starter Apartment Recordings:
These were “recorded at home during the rare uninterrupted moments of noisy city living” and bring the listener “a pensive and dreamy take on the everyday mundane moments of life and relationships, and are meant for rainy days at home and aimless walks around the city.” We don’t know about you, but that is sometimes everything we look for in music. We suddenly suspect that Lina K.O. has been reading our diary…
Be on the lookout for Lina’s debut EP, coming in January, 2023.
-TM