NAVVI – //

NAVVI conjure up some smooth-as-marble melodies, for a band with a “DIY mentality”. The Seattle duo, compromising of vocalist Kristin Henry and producer Brad Boettger, have delivered moonlit, early-hours electronica via two-track releases over the past year. It begs for comparisons to Chromatics, particularly their Kill for Love material, as this debut EP // is built upon those same cruising guitar riffs and swallowing soundscapes – music that deserves the lateness of the hour. Seattle’s known for its grunge rock roots, so NAVVI’s soothing, pop-tinged sound seems unorthodox for its origin.

Those Chromatics comparisons are unavoidable from the onset, with opener ‘Perfect Speed’ coasting steadily on a surface of exhaling synths and simmering cymbals. It evokes the same tone of ‘The River’, only at a greater sprint, belonging to stereos in cars that charge into the abyss. Henry’s vocal provides the right amount of sorrow and the subdued, providing the line “just let me be your perfect speed” with all the forbearing grace it deserves. As if there wasn’t reason enough to listen in the late hours, ‘La // 3am’ even defines the exact time. On this cut, the riffs skitter and the bass thrums, generating the foggy uncertainty that’s the remnant of the night before. It’s the stuttering, out-of-gas aftermath of the previous song’s break-the-accelerometer speed.

NAVVI would almost be indistinguishable to the Portland band, if their music wasn’t as woven with the pop sensibilities that give songs a better conciseness. ‘Palms’ is evidence of this, stirring a traditional beat together with a hazy, straightforward riff for an infectious concoction, as Henry chants “put your palms up to the sun” in a sort of liberating fashion. It maintains a refreshing balance of keeping melody whilst experimenting with composition, whereas most electro-pop artists either take one route or the other.

//’s remaining songs, ‘Mutual Release’ and ‘Stay’, take on contrasting forms that toy around with their established formula further. ‘Mutual Release’’s rattling beats and echoing synths are a hasty affair against ‘Stay’’s warping melancholy, which production-wise has hints of Purity Ring. Both show that NAVVI aren’t one-trick ponies, and their promising experimentation is bound to pay off. Debut EP // is a rounded retrospective of their first year of work and tantalises for more.