SI Istwa’s “AAPXL” Sounds Like Channel Surfing Through A Dream

Time and space hold no ground in the dream world. Places, people, and possibilities are all subject to change at any second; fixity is a fantasy the moment you drift off. A new artist exploring such unsteady ground is SI Istwa — so new she doesn't yet have a website, yet a quick Google reveals intriguing credits, including soundtrack composition for eerie drama True Detective. SI Istwa is signed to Terrible Records's new imprint Flexible, who will release her debut EP, titled Space Minus Distance, this November. "AAPXL," premiering on The FADER below, sounds like channel surfing through the subconscious: a drum machine keeps pace like a racing heart; a soft synth choir makes conversation with itself; and glitchy fragments make way for a vocal that's full of storytelling wonder.

"The song 'AAPXL' is a cut up of a few texts describing the ouroboros and I wrote it after having had a very intense waking dream about swallowing my own arm," SI Istwa told The FADER over email. "Through the arm I still could feel the quivering walls of my intestine. The inside of my body was very cold and slippery. Rejuvenation through destruction. But much quicker than that, there's no growth, something like the ability to disappear into your unknown self. Life failure. The story is about the infinite serpent and the music carries the story."

Flexible Records will release Space Minus Distance on November 11.