VYLANA's spiritually-charged "GODDESS RISE"

Unabashed mysticism and spirituality in music are something I simply can't get enough of. whether it comes from a place of genuine interest and earnest holistic labor or a hockey pastiche for campy aesthetic merriment, I think adopting the vernacular of the spiritual is usually a great recipe for some of the most interesting music you're bound to hear... if your mind is open for it.

“Goddess Rise” is both a heroine’s journey, and Vylana’s autobiography. It starts by taking the listener into the moment of awakening to the remembrance that the divine is within us all. It journeys through grief, sacred rage, boundary, erotic allurement, and ultimately the rebirth as an embodiment of both the human and the divine.

Vylana's music feels ritualistic not by mere coincidence, of course, and "GODDESS RISE" is one deliberate work of magic and artistry, as she explores themes of eastern mysticism and western alchemy while marrying sounds of the old-old world with those of the future. She accomplishes this cohesive message first and foremost through her lyrics, which often deal with inner transformation. Secondly, Vylana uses middle-eastern and Asian influences mixed with western electronic sensibilities to bring about a sense of entrancing unity between message and meaning.

Awaken The Goddess

The first track is aptly named "Awaken the Goddess". and it immediately sets the tone for the entirety of the album. This song feels like an early morning call to prayer evolving from a syncretic new-age collage of sounds into a blend of trip-hop, pop, and R&B elements inlaid with gilded touches of exoticism. What I found most compelling about this track is that it does contain every bit of what the entire EP is about within its runtime. Vylana's vocal performance is a perfect blend of many things together in a way that I can hardly compare to anyone else's. She's stern and bold, but there's also a comforting tenderness and a sensual reprieve to her every utterance.

Into The Fire

A more primal and savage track. Into the fire has a way of catching you off guard at first -you'll know upon hearing- but the meaning behind it all becomes abundantly clear. The eclectic track is a mixture of instrumental lingo that mixes of far-eastern and Polynesian instrumental lingo to create something that feels ever so foreign and simultaneously universal before exploding into an even more complex structure aided by electronic beats and dub elements that amp up the intensity. Is "Into The Fire" a savage love-making song? is it about being burnt and transformed by turmoil and tribulation? that is for you to decipher and interpret when VYlana's dramatic and amazing vocals come into play.

Alls I can say is that "Into The Fire" is far more intense and meaningful than it lets on at first.

Enough

Mainly a Spoken word track, Enough begins with an empowering but mysterious proclamation in English "...we had enough. The violation, the condemnation of our full expression has an expiration: Now." Vylana says. "Enough" comes as an exultation to rise above shame and denigration, said plainly in English before switching to some other language that sadly escapes me at the moment.

Out Of Exile

A slow-burn track begotten from a more sludgy and primordial place, but not all too disconnected from"Into The fire". This time, the tone and intentions are much clearer from the beginning, and Vylana's dramatic and edgy performance truly reflects that. As the song progresses it progressively incorporates electronic rock elements that were hinted at with the aforementioned "Into The Fire", giving this track a heavier and much more powerful aura in spite of its slower pace. The track climaxes in what is also one of the highest points in the entire album with a mix between a violin and Vylana's ethereal vocalizations.

Phoenix

I think it's fair to say that 'Phoenix' finalizes what was thematically started by the second track. In a curious juxtaposition, this song begins with a very subtle audio cue that's evocative of water of all things, rather than fire, and it quickly develops the middle-eastern influences that should be familiar by now, the continued use of environmental sounds, so often found in 'new-age' music evoke images of a lush and beautiful oasis, the state of achieving true reprieve. All of these signal what the song -and the EP- is ultimately about: An arduous and thrilling journey of Rebirth.

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“This is the album I wish I could have listened to when I was younger. It provides a map to a territory that I had to learn through my own heartbreak and self-abandonment. I’ve never done anything in my life I am more proud of, and I can’t wait to share this with the world. ” –VYLANA

On top of releasing this album, Vylana partnered with director Everett Satoru to release a short film as a full companion piece for the album.

"GODDESS RISE" is a portentous debut release for Vylana, It bridges some gaps between the somewhat fringe "New-Age" musical family and the more worldly elements of Pop music, something that perhaps evokes the blurring of the line dividing the sacred from the profane; this is not necessarily a contradiction, as it plays right into Vylana's philosophy of aligning heart, body, mind, and spirit with the unconditionality of Love, as well as the strong belief that recognizing that there is no part of herself, no part of any man or any woman that is not worthy of it.

In some ways, one could conceive Vylana as a musico-spiritual healer. A medicine-woman working with love and sound for the betterment of the self and the other.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Samuel Aponte is Venezuelan-born raised and based. 

I joined Rival Magazine after a few years of doing PR work for independent musicians of all stripes; understanding their struggles to be heard in a sea of constant  ADHD noise and paywalled access to platforms, I now bring a willingness to always appreciate and encourage the effort and creativity that artists put into their work . Can also find some of my writings on LADYGUNN and We Found New Music.