Noir Age, a cassette-centric label based out of Florida, have released ‘Shadow Of Venus‘, the sophomore release by Taupe Set XL.
The artist name of Kristen Soller, a Miami-based musician with a demonstrable talent for creating engrossing ambient music, Taupe Set XL had already grabbed attention with her initial release for Noir Age, ‘Mar‘. ‘Shadow Of Venus‘ develops her warming ambient music embellished with soothing choral vocals even further.
To celebrate the release, Noir Age commissioned a video of the second track, ‘Carried By Birdsong‘, which sees a perfect match between Soller’s production and lightly affected analogue videography. Mysterious and brooding, yet of an unimposing nature, the film is sedate and subdued without wild action scenes or shocking imagery.
Perhaps a nod to Soller’s practice as a hypnotist, it focusses on repeating the comforting mantras of the music itself — the scenes are familiar, yet affected, alike to a dream of a normal day. It grants a moment of peace that buries itself deep into your bones, a state that the full album renders with even more authority: mental medicine for an overstimulated world.
‘Shadow of Venus’ is out now via Noir Age. Order a copy from Bandcamp.
