The indie sound of a breaking heart.

 

There’s a long-running tradition of indie music being intensely driven by emotion and vulnerability. If there were ever any doubts that this tradition was no longer relevant, Tusks proves otherwise. Her latest studio offering, False, is a master work of feeling as brittle and fragile as glass.

Just like glass, everything is crystalline too. The EP is packed with pristine melodies and synths that shimmer into the horizon, while Tusks’ soul pours out on the top. It’s a perfect storm of emotion, without any of the intensity that is often found in indie music. While many songs of vulnerability will contain something of a kick to keep the blood pumping, Tusks revels in the defeated sound of a heavy heart and clouded mind. She is at the mercy of the music, with the weakened pleas of Torn and title track False painting a picture of an artist surrendering herself to the world.

This isn’t a release that is likely to get your blood pumping or your mood lifted, but it is one that will reach into your heart and extract any unresolved feelings or neglected emotions. It’s not often an EP possesses the kind of sincerity to inspire such a reaction. As Tusks’ voice dances and falls across the sheets of spacious synths and cutting drums, it is the listeners emotions that fill in the gaps and go along for the glide. Few artists would be so bold as to reject the upbeat and the pop-appealing grooves in order to produce something that genuinely touches listeners. In that void, this EP is born and Tusks rules as the queen of broken hearts.

The False EP is released on Little Indian Records on June 10. You can listen to the title track below.