LA-based electronic artist The Album Leaf has released his new single “Falling,” featuring noir-pop singer-songwriter Maiah Manser.
All synth arpeggios and far-away vocals, “Falling” is a five-and-a-half-minute journey through a sense of dreamy loss and letting go, accentuated by Maiah Manser’s voice singing “I’m falling/she’s calling/embody”. “Falling” feels like the last thoughts you have before falling asleep, or even the first thoughts you have when you wake up. It’s deeply ethereal, melancholic, and cerebral.
According to The Album Leaf – AKA Jimmy LaValle: “I wrote ‘Falling’ years ago and always imagine a dreamy vocal living inside it. When I was introduced to Maiah, I was struck by how powerful and emotional her voice is, and we both wanted to lean into an ethereal, ambient dreamscape that builds into a choir. From a production standpoint, I really leaned into the ambience, creating a bed of texture that supports the arpeggio and gives the whole track a floating, immersive feeling. [Maiah] really brought that vision to life.”
“Falling” isn’t a complicated track, but it doesn’t need to be – in fact, the simplicity of its slow, deliberate synths and the introduction of the subtle flutes buried in the mix alongside the vocals makes the track take up exactly the right amount of space, and no more. It’s a really wonderful listening experience from start to end.
