Hush Hush is honored to help present 'An Open Book,' a shared vision between Hush Hush alumni Shelf Nunny and IKSRE. An organic and free-flowing melding of their distinctive styles, the EP beautifully blends Shelf Nunny’s melancholic downtempo beats with IKSRE’s restorative classical-tinted ambient-pop for a lovely jaunt through lush, breezy, and ethereal terrain.
IKSRE is the alias of Melbourne/Naarm-based musician, vocalist, and sound healer Phoebe Dubar. She’s been crafting magical meditative music under the moniker since making her solo debut in 2019. She originally crossed paths with Shelf Nunny on 'Transmission,' IKSRE’s third release and label debut that was released by Hush Hush in January 2021. A remix collection of her 2020 self-released sophomore album 'Intermission,' 'Transmission' featured contributions from a gathering of Hush Hush family and friends that included Seattle-based electronic producer Christian Gunning aka Shelf Nunny. A fixture on Hush Hush since making his debut on the label in January 2016, his atmospheric lo-fi beats paired seamlessly with IKSRE’s airy vocals, providing one of the release’s highlights. Although clocking in at just under 2 minutes, this charming, wistful, and tantalizingly brief remix planted the seeds for a fruitful future collaboration.
Driven by the ease of this remix, their enthusiastic collaborative spirits, and a desire to explore new sonic territory, Shelf Nunny and IKSRE began to share ideas back-and-forth in late 2022 from their respective homes. With Shelf Nunny’s cinematic beats serving as the foundation, IKSRE intuitively layered her soaring vocals and lyrical viola into the mix. The combination of their sounds proved a refreshingly relaxed union, allowing a natural and carefree creative partnership to quickly bloom.
Completed over just a few weeks of writing, 'An Open Book' finds Shelf Nunny and IKSRE serving as co-narrators within a whimsical short story that’s full of richly textured beats, delightful vocal melodies, and gorgeous viola-led classical accents. From the chiming tones that introduce the opening track “It’s Been A Long Winter” to the glacial fade-out on closer “Drifting,” the 6-track EP plays out like a fleeting dream full of warmth and wonder that sets a hopeful tone for the rest of the day.
credits
released June 9, 2023
Written and performed by IKSRE and Shelf Nunny.
Produced and mixed by Shelf Nunny.
Mastered at Ambient Mountain House by James Bernard.
Artwork by Cynthia Bernard.
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