Arden If You Care Review

Arden is a harpist and vocalist who creates sensual, spheric sound constructions by combining her harp, ethereal vocals, and minimalistic electronic sounds. Her music investigates chamber pop, neoclassical music, new age, and ambient soundscapes. Arden’s techniques for adding new colors to the music include using loops, multiple layers, playing the harp with mallets, modifying it with paper, chains, and all kinds of mufflers, and spans a sky of elysian choirs above it. The result is a unique sound that is sophisticated, engaging, and transformative. Arden’s music is an intuitive blend of creativity, “I wanted to develop my musical vision independently, and trust my own ideas. I just wanted to follow my way of working, at my own pace, sometimes late at night, sometimes early in the morning, sometimes for hours, sometimes just minutes,” says Arden. “I wanted to not look for perfection but to create from the moment, with joy and to have the courage to let imperfection be-come part of my expression.”

Our Favorite Tracks

“Eden” is a tapestry of layers of harp and voice. The song’s percussive nature and gentile tampered layers are created with loops, mallets, and mufflers. The intelligent use of electronic sounds complements and melds with the harp sound to create a beautiful texture for Arden’s angelic voice to soar upon. The harp sound is warm and earthy, which anchors the song with an organic sound while still having a full sonic pallet. The overall sound is a magical mix of textures and beauty.

The stripped-down productions immediately mean the harp and voice have a prominence in the music, and “Open” is a beautiful example of the power of subtlety. The subtle electronica textures of percussion and drums enhances the song’s unfoldment. The active harp figure and Arden’s beautiful voice reaching her upper register in the middle of the song leads to the song’s magical climax.

In Conclusion

If You Care is a five-song EP that expresses music with deep inner emotion, and brings forth feelings of relaxation and healing. The orchestration of the harp and voice is a beautiful example of the subtle touch and profound understanding Arden has for both instruments. This is a lovely journey of rhythm, textures, and sounds as Arden follows her muse of emotional expression with such a personal musical statement.