Music, with its endless canals of emotions, is an infrastructure of therapy that Liverpool's SKIA understands well in her new single "Not Anymore." The synth-pop composition tells a story of common doubts and glimpses of self-belief, all while its lub-dub kick drum and its dreamy ambiance act as vehicles for the listener to navigate the sonic channels. The journey, as short as it may seem, is comforting thanks to the vulnerability SKIA offers in her vocal performance – one that presents a jagged mirror of doubts to the listener and places a comforting hand on the shoulder too.
SKIA confesses: "'Not Anymore' is about feeling like you've lost your way a bit and you're not sure how to move forward, and other people's opinions and actions are distracting you from focusing on yourself and what's best for you." Indeed, that duality of doubt and belief is at the heart of "Not Anymore" which breathes in deep synth sustains and out its colorful flourishes; the sublime vocals of a woman emerging from the remnants of a British underground, so chic, call out for the destruction of doubt and its profound trances.
On the eve of her debut EP titled Apricot, out May 1st, SKIA delivers a single that is steady, polished, and quite entrancing. SKIA's style is sure to continue its evolution, but as it stands, she is approaching her genre with respect and innovation in mind. Pop music continues to sprawl in the digital age, extending and emerging from the unlikeliest of places, reimagining the modern at a rapid rate—SKIA is a product of that sprawl.
