Wanderlust call of sirens

KOKO, alias of Costanza Delle Rose, navigates listeners through a translucent world of dream-pop and folk in Shedding Skin—seven tracks of lush, vulnerable sounds trickling with mystical melodies, gentle guitar strums and soothing sounds of nature. The album journeys through an almost meditative state of serenity, whilst channeling a similar ambiance to contemporaries such as Ichiko Aoba and Beach House.

“Sayonara” greets listeners with a rich breeze of fresh air—it sounds like standing atop a snowy mountain peak on a glistening winter’s night. KOKO’s vocals are soothingly ambient and hauntingly intimate, layered with rattling chimes and whimsical strums. As production crescendos, KOKO’s lush voice blissfully glides up and down, whisking the track to new heights. The music sounds alive; it sounds like it’s moving, cutting through the night sky and paving its own path among the clouds. KOKO croons “goodbye,” beckoning listeners to leave their belongings behind and venture into an otherworldly state of tranquility.

“For a Dreamer” further establishes KOKO’s sonic range with delightfully reverb-layered vocals. Every consonant, every instance of vocal fry comes through raw, clear and reverberating. Plucking strums and an echoing percussion give the song a mysterious feel, one of venturing onwards, unsure of the destination. However, as the track progresses, sparkling piano keys sweep in, and the track takes on a newfound optimism. It’s a moment of sentiment to keep dreaming, to trust that life will eventually take us to where we need to be.

“Fireflies” and “Lonely Kingdom” maneuver towards introspective states as KOKO’s translucent vocals permeate through the echoing of bass-filled guitar licks. Particularly for the latter track, KOKO’s tightly layered vocals come off as detached and isolated. The track shifts fluidly, rolling onwards as the previously gentle guitar progression churns into a gritty bassline. KOKO’s haunting vocals echo onwards, looming with pain, regret and self-sabotage… “Why do I choose to be one?” A saxophone line creeps in—no one really expected it to show up to the party, but it’s more than welcome. The warm, droning jazz-fueled ambiance of each solitary note spirals the track to chilling heights. It sounds like something out of Cowboy Bebop, staring out into the empty abyss of space in the comfort of a dying spaceship. Barely enough fuel to run but still floating, drifting onwards.

“Polar Wander” progresses through synthpop keys and an adhesive beat, springing with optimism as a recurring synth line floats throughout the track. The synth line almost serves as a narrative motif; as KOKO sings “I’ve lost my route again,” it swoops back in as if guiding KOKO out of the tunnel of uncertainty, towards newfound confidence—”Now I have no fear….”

“See You” uses a layering of vocal harmonies that make KOKO’s vocals trail off with a hissing, echoing compression. This creative decision further progresses the album into an otherworldly state. A breeze whisks the song to a beat switch, rapidly picking up the pace. This urgency feels like speed-running a character arc, motivated by the realization that time is running out and to move forwards as quickly as possible. The track reaches a calming break, echoing with familiar sounds of the world. From the gentle bubbling of a stream to the rhythmic galloping of horses, these are the types of sounds the human race would broadcast into space if we wanted to share and preserve the sounds of Earth.

“Notte” brews with a grand, dystopian Blade Runner-esque synth line. It’s calm but ominously foreboding as if asking listeners to contemplate their journey thus far. Where have we gone? Where are we now? The album ends with a sputtering mix of busy chattering from a crowd and the distant cawing of seagulls—two contrasting atmospheres layered atop one another, but at this point in the experience of Shedding Skin, the difference between them are indiscernible. The album closes with a peaceful state of harmonization with nature.

Shedding Skin is a sonic vacation to a distant land, seasoned with ghostly harmonies and streaming sounds of nature. The musical blend is reminiscent of the calm trickling of time and life, a reminder that peace can be found everywhere in the mystery shrouded in our world.