Dania: Listless – Personal Experimental Music Inspired by Medical Late-Night Work

In addition to crafting atmospheric electronic pieces, the Iraqi-born, Spain-based musician Dania furthermore works overnight duties as an emergency doctor. Those nocturnal hours are the influence behind her new release Listless: all seven tracks were written and produced after midnight, while the artwork showcases the slender blossom of the Japanese snake gourd, a species that flowers exclusively after dark. But, you won't find much of the turmoil of her overnight routine in this music: rather, the album exudes a quiet calm that is at times euphoric, sometimes eerie.

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Converging at a point amid downtempo, shoegaze and ambient, and a hint of pop, the layered tracks glide hypnotically, propelled by washes of synths and, for the first time, drums. An innovative feature to the artist's usual setup, they add a gentle downtempo kick to several of the songs. The meandering, hazy rhythm in Personal Assistant recalls the 1990s-era bands Scala and another, whereas the song Car Crash Premonition is the closest things come to urgent. Composed after an unnerving taxi journey to her workspace late one evening, it is both contemplative and dizzying, fit for a movie scene.

Additional tracks, such as I Know That and another called Write My Name, are more reminiscent of the artist's past work: minimalist and formless. The closing track, A Hunger, possesses a subaquatic quality, with gurgling and beeping sounds that resemble medical equipment, blended with altered answerphone-style vocals.

Dania’s soft, whispering vocal is present through nearly the whole of the record. The lyrics are hardly discernible as her vocals are floating, looped, layered, at points barely there entirely. Growing up in a household where singing was discouraged, she has stated it’s an activity she’s consistently considered personal. Yet this is also an brilliant choice, augmenting the surreal atmosphere on this beautiful, personal album.

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