SELF-CONTROL is the third release of Leyla Romanova’s that we’ve shared, and I’m becoming a fan of her diverse sound.
By Graeme Smith
The single follows on from Jane’s review of CYBERSYMPHONY in 2024 and Katie’s coverage of the Paris-inspired Lettres sous la pluie from earlier this year. SELF-CONTROL provides a nice contrast to the latter, moving away from looking outward and instead focussing on Romanova’s inner world, all while maintaining a cinematic approach to her music.
Through a tense and atmospheric electronic arrangement, the composer explores the idea of restraint, framing stillness as strength and highlighting deliberateness in a society that’s increasingly noisy and distracting. The message is that not reacting is sometimes the most powerful thing you can do. Romanova does this cleverly as the true rhythm of her piece reveals itself the longer you listen.
The track feels a fair way from the artist’s classical training and symphony orchestra roots, but the same discipline exists in SELF-CONTROL’s electronic layering. The single is yet more evidence of what a singular star Romanova is.
If you want to keep up to date with all Leyla Romanova is doing, you can by heading to her website, and by following her on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Spotify.
SELF-CONTROL is out now, and you can listen to it below.
Supported by Musosoup #SustainableCurator