Kyoto-born, Oslo-based experimental electronic artist SIENNÁ returns with EMA, a nine-track journey where sound becomes a way of sketching the unseen. Drawing inspiration from solitary walks through Kyoto’s Kibune valley and Ischia island, the album explores interconnectedness, spirituality and the natural world through an adventurous East-meets-West palette.
The album opens with “Be A Seeker, Believer,” where steady rumbling beats carry an immersive electronic landscape. SIENNÁ’s voice wails through the arrangement, stretching and trailing eerily into the surrounding textures. Built around resilience and self-belief, the track gives the album an emotional starting point, reaching for hope.
“369 (Miroku)” moves into darker territory. Deep brooding bass and a slow, steady beat create a heavy foundation, while gritty guitar grinds through the mix. An eerie female vocal echoes around the instrumentation, giving the song an uncanny Eastern character. It feels more like stepping into an unfamiliar ritual.
By the closing “From Here to Where You Are,” SIENNÁ strips the atmosphere into something delicate and airy. Glass-like clinks shimmer alongside breathing textures, creating a spacious, almost weightless finale.
Across EMA, classical instrumentation, jazz influences and Japanese aesthetics such as wabi-sabi meet experimental electronics without being forced into neat genre boundaries.
Having performed alongside artists including Nils Petter Molvær, Mick Karn and Arthur Brown, SIENNÁ brings a distinctly exploratory spirit to the record. She turns impressions, landscapes and spiritual reflections into sound, creating an album that feels like a sonic sketchbook for things that are difficult to draw.
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Review by: Naomi Joan