Sacramento, USA-based indie pop artist Howe, real name Chyanne Ledbetter, first came to my attention in the Summer of 2021 thanks to her subversive track Made For This Time. Since then, I’ve been eagerly lapping up her new music, and this year shared further tracks Green Enough and Wash Rinse Repeat. The latter opens her new EP, the literally titled Courtesy of Insomnia.
By Graeme Smith
Wash Rinse Repeat is perhaps the perfect start to this sleepless journey. A mix of light and shadow, it begins with sultry bass and bright percussion. Chyanne’s vocals are melancholic, bored of a looping existence, particularly during a waking dream of a chorus.
It’s the only track on the EP that wasn’t fully started and finished in Chyanne’s bedroom. From Angel Dressed in Pink onwards, we get a glimpse of her world where sleep (or lack of it) mixes with musical creativity and production. You feel the intimacy immediately from Angel Dressed in Pink, a stripped-back yet enveloping arrangement, with layers of vocals that whisper directly into your ear.
God’s Lullaby is more outward-looking, exploring the prevalence of violence against women in society. Alongside its justified anger, there is a sense of resignation, a desire to escape into a fantasy world. “I’m exhausted,” Chyanne opens and you really feel it. It’s an early highlight.
S L E E P is the EP’s midpoint. It brings with it a dark vibrancy that reminded me of Third-era Portishead. Hello Moon follows, a short yet poignant meditation. The ambient experimentation is amped up in every second of its less than two minute runtime.
Shadow Puppets speaks of the intrusive memories after a breakup through a sometimes danceable arrangement. Title track Courtesy of Insomnia closes the album. The EP’s themes come forth at their starkest in its final moments. It’s also where Chyanne feels at her most vulnerable, ruminating on life and death, and as such it’s also the EP’s most powerful chapter.
What an EP! I already knew that I loved Howe from her offerings last year and earlier this year, but Courtesy of Insomnia takes that love to a whole new level. The thought and feeling that has gone into this collection is palpable and its recording process gives it a real feel of immediacy. You can check out the whole EP below.