Canadian artist Caroline Fernandez unveils the captivating first chapter of new trip-hop project Riverie with debut single ‘The Ugly and The Beautiful’.
Opening forthcoming EP ‘Faded Empire’, out late October, the track introduces a darker and more ambitious direction for the founding member of Rivers Below Rivers and house project Paper Kid. Delicate vocals float across luminous keys and understated drum machines before the chorus pulls everything into murkier territory, creating a striking tension between beauty and unease.
She wrote the song before taking it to LAMB’s Andy Barlow, who produced the track at his studio in Goa. Inspired by FKA Twigs, LAMB and Portishead, Riverie’s sound also carries traces of the project’s unusual geographical beginnings between Goa and the UAE.
Lyrically, ‘The Ugly and The Beautiful’ emerged from Fernandez confronting changes within herself while watching an increasingly unsettled world outside, exploring identity, powerlessness and the difficult process of recognising what needs to change.
Atmospheric, introspective and beautifully haunting, ‘The Ugly and The Beautiful’ makes Riverie’s arrival feel genuinely exciting.