Breathing Statues

With the lineup stripped down to the duo of Australian producer Isaac Emmanuel and Indonesian singer Melati Malay, Young Magic recorded their latest “experiments” over a year’s time while on tour in Morocco, France, Czech Republic, Australia, Iceland, and their home studio in New York. Where their debut album, Melt, had grander pop aspirations, Breathing Statues focuses on the mystical sounds that can be mined alongside mechanical handclaps. “Something in the Water” captures the ambient sense that guided the 4AD label in the ‘80s, but with this duo’s own peculiar sense of harmony and song structure. The echoed beats falling like rain over Malay’s multitracked vocals on “Ageless” create an enigma that has no intention of being solved. “Fall In” comes closest to conventional pop, with a melody that’s carefully tailored for immediacy’s sake—but even here it’s with an avant-garde touch. “Mythnomer” turns up a dirtier sound, with rhythms that battle one another while studio effects further create a tortured world.