Album Review: Rachika Nayar – Our Hands Against The Dusk

Ambient, Emotional and Inspiring

Rachika Nayar’s recent release, Our Hands Against The Dusk, is an extremely versatile album that contains many different styles, sounds and instruments. The music itself is mostly calm and relaxing, and at times takes on a more eerie, suspenseful tone that counteracts its ambient vibes. There is a mix of modern electronic styles as well as ‘80s synths that give this record a range of different musical colors.

The music flows seamlessly through the album due to the absence of an established rhythm. There are a few rhythms that appear from time to time, and when they do, an exciting drive to the music is added. Though the album is mainly ambient music, there are moments of heavy static and distortion that interrupt the flow of the soft, calming music. During these particular moments the music sounds eerie and almost goth.

In addition to its many electronic sounds, there are also hints of choral and orchestral music. For instance, in the track titled “New Strands,” there are several different string instruments that appear throughout the piece. Each instrument is played in a way that each individual strand can be heard. This track has a very metallic sound, with the many string instruments. There are almost too many different string instruments to distinguish exactly what instruments they are in the piece.

The melodies carry much weight for the album. The melody is noticeably different for each track, unlike many other ambient music albums. This helps to make each song stand out, and not to sound repetitive. The melodies are intriguing and each tell a story of their own. The interesting melodies drive the album forward and smoothly transition to the next track. Just the melodies alone are incredibly inspiring.

Our Hands Against The Dusk is a deeply emotional album that showcases the many different possibilities of electronic music. The variety of distinct electronic elements and instruments gives the album so many layers of story and inspiration. After hearing the many string instruments that appear on the soundtrack, the album closes with a heartfelt, almost sorrowful, piano solo that creates a feeling of longing for the warm, comforting music that was heard earlier on the previous tracks. This album is a beautiful work of art that fans of both electronic and orchestral music will fall in love with.