Last month, New Hampshire-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Andrea Levesque unveiled her latest EP, See The Hue, under the name Atlantic Canyons. Recorded with session musicians who Levesque met in online chatrooms, the project is a collection of creepily enchanting psalms with rippling synths on tracks like “Sorry,” and “At Sea,” as well as cavernous string-layered soundscapes and lyrics that unravel Levesque’s personal trauma throughout the EP. “Breathing’s easier underneath the surface/Rushing waves fall, soaked in endless sky,” she desperately trills on the titular track.
“[See The Hue] bears witness to feelings of fear and loneliness, and there is catharsis in acknowledging unpleasant emotions,” Levesque reveals. “By allowing myself the freedom to experience these feelings without judgment, I became unburdened by them.”
Shortly after its release, the project rapidly took the #1 spot for most EP adds on the North American College & Community Radio Charts, and it’s easy to see why. Not many recent dreampop projects I’ve heard pack the same punch as See The Hue. The project is incredibly dynamic and all-encompassing, combining elements of trip hop, dreampop, and shoegaze. On no track is this more evident than “One More Minute,” with its rumbling tribal drum patterns and echoing guitars coupled with Levesque’s ethereal vocal melodies. “Everybody’s moved on/With the exception of you and me,” she urgently croons on the track.
“Haunted World,” opens with a menacing gothic organ wheeze that calls to mind The Marble Index and Desertshore-era Nico. Levesque’s breathy vocals emulate the likes of Portishead and Curve, with static drum-machine patterns that eventually build to a heady climax with skull-shattering bass breaks. I wouldn’t be surprised if the sound engineer had dismantled the entire soundboard and jammed a screwdriver inside while it was plugged in to achieve that impact.
The overall sound of See The Hue captures the state of Levesque steering a ship that is lost at sea in a hurricane. The final track, “Life At the Top,” which includes soulful guest vocals and playful ad-libs from Star Smash, offers a sense of humility and a state of calm after the worst of the storm has passed, clearing a path in the sky for Levesque to see the fractals of a glittering sunset reflected in the murky waters, yet wary of the storms yet to come.
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