Pavo Pavo‘s Eliza Bagg has been blurring the lines between experimental and pop music for a year now with her solo venture Lisel. Following up to her debut album Angels on the Slope, the most forward-thinking act from the Luminelle family has now returned with two future baroque new tracks, “Specters” and “Rabbit Rabbit,” crafted with Angel Olsen‘s collaborator Ben Babbitt. According to the artist, these two offerings “about the anxiety-euphoria of living in our crumbling world” are the perfect soundtrack to “gaze into and ring in the apocalypse.” We knew the end of the world was going to be impressive, but we were not expecting something as majestic.

Lisel is the brand new solo project of multi-instrumentalist and experimental vocalist Eliza Bagg. Bagg is best known for her work as a vocalist, violinist, and synth player in the Brooklyn art rock band Pavo Pavo. After a few years of classical vocal performance and collaboration with other indie artists, she’s returned with a newfound desire to explore the limits of her voice as an instrument. That desire has manifested as Lisel.

“My main instrument is my voice, not a keyboard or a guitar, so I wanted it to be the genesis of every song,” says Bagg, who is now based in Los Angeles. “I was trying to use the resources I had within me, within my body, to make something that feels true about the way we live our lives now, in 2019. That’s why I wanted to focus on my voice—I wanted each song to be literally made out of me.”

Backed by a drum machine and a constellation of glittering synths, Bagg’s vocals swell and modulate on “Digital Light Field.” It’s the second single from her upcoming record Angels on the Slope, out July 26 on Luminelle Recordings. Despite being cloaked in digital effects, her voice retains its soulful, human quality, making the track sound more angel than alien. It soars and falters organically, as if emphasizing that at the heart of every digital experience there’s still a human author. Check out “Digital Light Field” below.

[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz-fJkvjVuM”]

The moniker Lisel might not ring a bell to you and it’s actually pretty normal. This project marks the solo debut of singer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Eliza Bagg, also known to be one half of Pavo Pavo. “I had found space in the classical world that made sense for me but I realized I needed to make something that was truly mine, that sprung from my own voice,” explains the artist about this new adventure. After one year of writing and recording, her self-produced debut album is on the way and the first single, “Ciphers,” is already available.

Elegant, pristine yet challenging, the experimental pop of “Ciphers” reminds us of Weyes Blood‘s cosmic and shimmering avant-pop, which is obviously a very good point. And the accompanying Jing Niu-directed music video definitely contributes to the magic. About the visuals, she detailed:

[su_quote]The word cipher has two meanings — it can be a coded message, but it can also be an empty hole, a zero. The song is about the haunting uncertainty in the pathways that have been set out before you, and realizing these courses have become more ambiguous and disorienting than you thought — at best entangled, at worst empty. There’s also, however, the glimmer of trying to find authenticity within that reality — the background choir serving as the basis for the song is simultaneously pure and glitchy, faulty but still true.[/su_quote]

Before adding:

[su_quote]The video is set in three surreal, manufactured landscapes: a celestial beach next to a reflection pool, a dark space where a shadow figure mimics and supports my movement, and a river of red silk. My identity is echoed in the pool and splintered in the shadow figure. [/su_quote]

Watch “Cipher” below and stay tuned for more Lisel‘s music.

[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ3MBDT1gGQ”]