AVAWAVES Let Emotion Lead the Rhythm on New Album ‘Heartbeat’
AVAWAVES, the international, contemporary virtuoso duo comprising Anna Phoebe and Aisling Brouwer, release their third studio album ‘Heartbeat', via One Little Independent Records. A transportive and euphoric meeting of violin, piano, and synth, the LP embraces a fusion of modern composition, ambient, and electronic styles while incorporating the pair’s acclaimed soundtrack work. Thematically, ‘Heartbeat’ represents strength, resolve, and moving forward. They explain that “the album is about peeling back all the layers we cloak ourselves in until there is nothing left but the source, and discovering the strength that resides there. We wanted this album to feel raw, honest, and intuitive. There are themes of resilience, determination, grit, and an optimism in forever chasing the dawn after dark. It’s the bursting of bubbles and realising how much lighter everything feels without them.”
New album ‘Heartbeat’ was produced and mixed with TJ Allen (Bat For Lashes, Portishead, Hannah Peel, Anna Calvi) and features vocals from Imogen Williams of Imogen and the Knife. This release marks a significant musical evolution for the duo, incorporating their soundtrack experience and returning to the collaborative process that shaped their debut record. AVAWAVES’ creative approach is grounded in live performance, crafting compositions by immersing themselves in the emotions of the space - a process challenged by lockdowns and physical distance. Drawing inspiration from visual elements, the duo creates soundscapes that evoke colours, scenes, and stories, akin to scores for an imaginary film. Anna and Aisling believe instrumental music provides a universal language that invites listeners to engage fully, embracing vulnerability and heightened individual emotions. For them, this openness to interpretation is where true meaning lies.
AVAWAVES are rooted in cinematic narratives, evoking emotional journeys of the heart and mind. They released their debut album, ‘Waves’, in 2019, followed by ‘Chrysalis’ in 2021. Together, they have played festivals around Europe, the Royal Albert Hall and at King’s Place for the award-winning podcast The Guilty Feminist. They also composed the original score for Savage Waters, a feature documentary narrated by Charles Dance. An intimate portrait of modern adventurers, it follows clues left in a 19th-century treasure-hunter’s journal that inspire a captivating journey to seek out and surf a mythical, never-ridden wave in some of the most remote and dangerous waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The score won Best Original Soundtrack at the 2022 Richard Harris International Film Festival.
