October 7, 2022 - Jiaolong
Cherry, Dan Snaith’s latest album as Daphni, is an exercise in maximal minimalism. A study of extremes. Of highs and lows, a bipolar bridge between states of matter. Snaith constructs rooms filled with mismatched furniture, vibrating colors, clashing wallpapers, and plethoras of textures. Miniatures, rooms that can fit in the palm of your hand, placed in a larger room that is stark white, so you can view them all in isolation. There’s mess—a few pencil sketch lines not completely erased, a few instances of the metronome left in during recording. But this mess is contained, held in place and perfectly trimmed to fit within the own walls. Tracks like ‘Arrow’ and ‘Mania’ push hard against their confines, with the desire, or maybe just the nature, to be bigger. But Snaith is a ruthless pruner, pulling the plug before the music pours over its bounds. A good deal of the cohesiveness of the project comes from the way the pieces flash in and out in dramatic fashion. It’s all the good stuff here, no lengthy intros and outros, no tease of a good time. Snaith distills the moment of infection down to a tight three and slaps it in place. It’s as refreshing as it is enchanting. If a track needs more space, more breathing room, well, that’s what the repeat button is for. A beautiful lesson in supply and demand.🍍