Through the reveries of misty, monochrome minimalism lingers in the shadows, the most tantalizing, sweetest sounds you’ll ever hear! Out from the depths of darkness emerges BARLI, vocals of soothing warmth that shower over you just ever so gently. London-based BARLI is creating the most alluring, sensually appealing music in the reveries of soul-sensuality.
As the lady herself put it, “this Is what midnight sounds like”, and through the dead of the night, out from the undergrowth, BARLI brings her music into the bewitching hour with her brand new Pebbles EP. Four tracks, an eclipse of her most smokiness and smooth subleties. Are you afraid of the dark? Come bask in a mist so intriguing, a beguilement of mesmerising curiousities, I give to you BARLI!
This is a lady to watch out for in the new year, as she is already steadily showcasing amazing music this year, and if you have not already come across her most absorbing of genteel musical wonders, then make it a must! Never has music portrayed sheer warmth, a duvet of delicious songs, close your eyes, this is what dreams are made of! Sighting Gil Scott Heron as one of her influences, you can definitely hear this in her music, with its chilled, laid-back soul, capturing this sleek, velvety sound. Floating, fluttering, come and take a journey of the most calm, a halcyon of peace serenity.
It was back in June this year, the ominous BARLI emerged with her satin-serene track “Pebbles“, with all the smoothness and darkness of Lulu James and Cooly G, and boy what a wonderment of sheer tranquility it was. A driftwood of beauty and sultry vocals, a ripple of woven intricacies of electronica and sublime BARLI soul.
“Pebbles”:
Working alongside Ton Epoch, BARLI gave the world a taste of something so lusciously enticing, rich in vocals, a feather-weight of a track vocally. ‘Heavenly mellow-tone’ music that nestles in the backdrop of twilight. No one genre justifies claim to BARLI’s music, it toys with various different genres from soul to R&B to electronica to low-fi and it works. A divergent of music which will submerge you into the depths of BARLI’s soul and take you on a journey into the contemporary and unique!
A rare, solitary individual, if ‘this is what midnight sounds like’, so musing and pensive, dawn has nothing on this! “Pebbles” cemented this lady for so many positive things and left us wanting more. In July 2014, “Reach For Me” followed and did not disappoint, a dreaming trance of a track soothed out like liquid gold, a priceless piece of dazzling musicality it captured the pitch-black but still shone bright, as the embers intensified.
“Reach For Me”:
Four months on, and BARLI’s creativity manifested immensely with last week’s spicy “Rum Woman”, and early November’s “Vex” before it, both confident, as they strutted so effortlessly. As the video for “Vex” brought to light BARLI’s inspiring imagination, her debut visual capturing this premise of ‘midnight.’ Directed by Tom Sharman, BARLI could bring to the screen the vision that would coincide with her music, to make the perfect pairing and an artistry of originality straight from her image.
“Vex”:
The soft sublimities are what make BARLI’s music so grand. Graceful and elegant, this is musical perfection at its best! This is a lady to watch out for, lurking in the shadows in the depths of blackness, sweet, sweet musings will appear, and we can only predict big things for this ambiguous lady, grab your torch and revel in this musical nightfall! Stream and download BARLI’s Pebbles EP here.
Words by Melanie John // Edited by Ayo Adepoju
