Los Angeles-based composer Jacqueline Cordes hasn’t been far from my thoughts of late.

By Graeme Smith

Her recent single Illusions of Amethyst was an enchanting delight, as was its Gothic video which told the story of a puppet maker. I was so intrigued by both that I posed her some questions in an interview.

Stay tuned to hear more from her…

The track opens her second album, Frozen Star, which sees Cordes welcome us into her “Chromaverse.” She’s a composer who’s uniquely-placed. She has the condition synaesthesia which blends sense in ways that those without it can only imagine. The condition features heavily in the way she composes.

“My synaesthesia definitely comes into play often while composing,” she said of her ‘superpower’ in our recent interview. “For one thing, I always know if I’m changing the musical feel in the middle of a piece, since the colour will change or disappear. I also think the colours encourage me to create a variety of musical environments and even sometimes write in genres I never would have thought to write in otherwise.”

It makes for a varied and dramatic listen across Frozen Star’s twelve tracks. Illusions of Amethyst is, of course, an early highlight. I also enjoyed the cosmic dynamism of Transience, and the sheer rousing theatre of Realm of The Red Sun.

Each piece paints a picture in your mind, telling a story while transporting you to another world.

Frozen Star feels like a natural progression from the 22-year-old’s debut album, Singularity, as Cordes moves more confidently into her sound and explores new realms.

“Singularity was a journey across time, ranging from the ancient past to the future, while Frozen Star is a journey through colour,” says Cordes. “I like to think of them as two halves of a double-album that introduces listeners to the Chromaverse and takes them on a tour of distinct musical worlds.”

The album is out now, available to buy digitally on Bandcamp. You can listen to it below.