9th House - Lyra EP

June 19, 2020 - 17 Steps

Dancing alone in my bedroom grieving. My cat shuffles about on the floor beside me unable to get comfortable. Eagle is falling. 

The short new Lyra EP by 9th House, released on 17 Steps, is fresh like the midsummer sky, crisp like the fall air to come, and hand-crafted with high attention to detail. Four soothing, buzzy techno-house tracks for dancing dropped into the internet celeste-sphere by a producer who appears shrouded in mystery from our viewing position of stateside isolation. 

I seriously do have trouble finding much about 9th House online. And these days, anything I can’t find online is a thing whose* existence I question. I can hear the music though, and it’s attractive. Maybe that’s all that matters. What is real anymore? All I have is right in front of me.

Lyra EP opens with its namesake ‘Lyra,’ a light-hearted dream of a track that appeals to my lonely endorphins. I really do want to trust. Its atmosphere is airy, but its bass is juicy, quenching the thirst like a cool Italian soda. The main melodic lead synth falls a bit flat on the tail ends of its notes, strangely nostalgic like an electronic baby’s toy with dying batteries. This is how stringed instruments sound if you slow them down. Pitches that bend. I find it interesting when electronic producers include audible imperfection like this in their digital perfection on purpose. They don’t have to. It’s a specific choice. Instrumentalists aim for auditory perfection and fall short because they are human. Producers have digital perfection and aim for auditory imperfection so listeners believe they are human. 

We get two variations of ‘Lyra,’ the original, and a remix of it by Dusky, the tastemaking duo who runs the 17 Steps record label. I enjoy both versions, though I find the differences between them subtle. The remix rings like an enthusiastic encore of satisfying performance injected with a pinch more energy.

Next is my favorite track ‘Solitary State.’ It might be my favorite because it’s the only song on the EP with vocals. I’ve been isolated so long of late that I crave vocals more than normal—solitary state indeed. But I also think it goes beyond my need for connection to others like me. It has a melancholy mood that feels more of this moment than ‘Lyra.’ It still maintains a feeling of lunar rising that’s present throughout the EP. It’s the soundtrack to me at this moment, late at night, alone, eliciting fatalistic expressions and facing existential questions. It reminds me of ABBA’s ‘Man After Midnight,’ but more abstruse.   

The EP closes with ‘Wolf Blood Moon’ which is spooky with pads like a cinematic ghost over a dense meaty thumping heartbeat. It’s comfortable, though perhaps a little forgettable out of context. 

17 Steps releases impeccably engineered music that’s cooler than your tween haircut. They definitely have a distinctive flavor, and 9th House’s Lyra EP complements the rest of the soup. Listening is a delightful sensation. Indulge in moderation though or you might forget how to taste. ☔