Following their epic debut single "Into Dimensions", it seemed that IRAH - made up of Stine Grøn, Adi Zukanović and Oliver Laumann - couldn't get much bigger or ambitious with their sound. But this latest cut proves that the sky, or perhaps the galaxy, is the limit for the Danish trio.
There's something new-age about "Fast Travelling"; while 4AD and Cocteau Twins are obvious touchstones for IRAH, there's also elements of Enya and Enigma (wait, come back!) in the layers and transcendental nature of the music, and in the exploration of love and spirituality in Grøn's lyrics.
As the singer emotes lines like "love is a spirit/seen and unseen/the seed of the universe/love is my answer/when I see you", we're transported to another plane by the soundscape constructed by her band mates.
As with their previous tracks, IRAH have crafted and carved "Fast Travelling" out of an extended jam (the album version will have a long and trippy intro) into the most ambitious of pop songs.
With synths sounding like the sighs of the universe and echoing, almost flat, percussion, IRAH are creating space and filling it with beautiful symphonies. Grøn's vocals are double and triple tracked as the song builds momentum to the point where we have a choir made out of Grøn's voice soaring over buzzing electronic sounds pinging back and forth between the speakers. It's a simply stunning piece of music that works the head as much as the heart.
"Fast Travelling" is out now, and the mini-album Into Dimensions will be out on 14 October via Tambourhinoceros. IRAH play London's Hoxton Bar on 10 November alongside fellow Dane M.I.L.K.
