“There’s nothing I lose when I’m losing you”, Tessa Douwstra, aka Luwten, asserts during the climax of ‘Control’. It’s one of the many signature zingers of the Dutch producer, songwriter and musician. Douwstra's brand new Door EP marks a step towards a new chapter, with five songs that are a study of a perfectionist who knows everything is ever-changing.
By splicing artificial sounds with organic instrumentation, samples and field recordings, Luwten’s brand of abstract pop explores one of life's bigger emotional beats: how to reconcile a yearning for both solitude and companionship. It's a quandary the world of today is suddenly coping with on a massive scale. Though the balance between spending time alone and with others is ever-changing, Douwstra finds solace in small, bemused observations she can clutch onto like cherished mementos.
In fact, some of Luwten's songs stem from using actual mementos.“‘Don’t Be A Stranger’ was born from an experiment with my grandmother’s old tape recorder,” Douwstra reveals. “There was some awful yodel music on the cassette, but then when I rewound it and pressed play, I heard a two-second recording of a male choir. I sampled just that small part and that became the “ahay” you hear in the song’s theme and chorus. It’s a song about being on the move constantly but not wanting the connections you make in these situations to become a fleeting thing. “
‘Airport’ explores the crossroads of a relationship, playfully using a quote from Esther Perel – creator of the podcast Where Should We Begin – as a sample. “I feel like (Perel) is providing my generation with words on how to talk about these subjects. It feels like romanticism and relationships are being redefined at the moment and I find it interesting to listen to these ideas and think about them.”
The scintillating ‘Full Well’ gradually augments the stirring will-they-or-won’t-they insinuations. "It's inspired by the minimal music I love, just like with 'In Over My Head' on my first album. It’s about presumptions, insecurities and the scream for an answer. I wanted the song to have that same vibe: a long ramp-up that just keeps on building and building until your impatience gets the best of you."
Ultimately, Luwten's songs evoke the feeling of an unspoken understanding with someone very close to you: to instinctively know when things can remain unresolved, when they can't and when it’s okay to let the noise of the world run its course. The sensual, threadbare ‘Haircut’ ends fittingly with a long dragged-out piano note...as if leaving the door a tiny bit open to let the breeze blow through.
Check out the EP HERE!