Mermaids by Natalia Beylis

While many albums start with a sound in mind and from there select the instrumentation to achieve their goal, few operate in the reverse. Natalia Beylis provides a counterexample with Mermaids, an album inspired by the natural timbre and tendencies of Beylis’ CRB Elettronica Diamond 708 keyboard. Rather than wrangle the instrument’s flowy texture into something more concrete, Beylis constructed an environment for the Diamond to roam around in. Constant sonic pinches cast Mermaids in the golden hour lighting of an eternal ending, continually zooming out to provide a clearer picture of the conclusion of an adventure. This ending proves naive, as the world must continue moving, but in the moment the world feels orderly and fulfilled. We find here a simple beauty that will keep you lost in thought, placing yourself into your old family photos on the beach as the soothing waves sizzle into the breeze, silently laughing at your prayers to hold onto this moment forever.