Astrid Sonne - Great Doubt LP

CLEAR MAGENTA VINYL

“Great Doubt” is the third full length LP by Danish composer Astrid Sonne. Throughout her acclaimed discography, Astrid Sonne has been carefully crafting different moods through electronic and acoustic instrumental endeavours. On “Great Doubt” this skill is refined, now with the distinct addition of the composer's own vocal in front. The tone of each track is unmistakably Sonne’s, structured around contrasts through an impeccable sense of timing. Lyrics on the album are sparse, merely highlighting different scenes or emotional states of being, leaving the music to fill in the blanks. Yet they also form a pattern of ambiguity, consolidated through the album title, searching for answers through looking at how and what you are asking, questions for the world, questions of love.

The viola, a trusted companion since Astrid Sonne’s youth, appears effortlessly throughout the album, fully integrated into the sonic universe; through a pizzicato driven arrangement in the poignant track “Almost” or along with booms and claps in mutated cinematic stabs during “Give my all”, paraphrasing Mariah Carey's 1997 ballad. Yet the string section also gives way to explorations of woodwinds, counterbalancing the bowed movements with digital brass and airy flutes. Finally, beats and detuned piano are fresh additions to the soundscape, cementing how Sonne’s practice is always evolving into new territories.

All songs written and produced by Astrid Sonne
Drums on “Do you wanna” and “Boost” by Astrid Sonne
Guitar on “Do you wanna” by Jasper Marsalis
Guitar on “Almost” by Alvilda Reiter Jakobsen
Cello on “Everything is unreal” by Emma Barnaby
Saxophone on “Overture” and “Say you love me” by Ben Vince
Mix by Astrid Sonne and Nis Bysted
Master by ET Mastering
Art direction and photography by Conrad Pack