Kellarissa

Kellarissa

Voice Leading

Mint

KELLARISSA offers redemption to lost souls searching for meaning in dark places. Voice Leading, her fourth full-length album with Mint Records, is a vulnerable, self-real-ized ode to female desire, regret, shame, self- compassion, and cautious healing. Kellarissa (Finnish for “in the basement”) is the solo moniker of experimental pop artist Larissa Loyva, whose two-decade-long out- put of exacting pop music also includes her critically acclaimed collaborations with Nicholas Krgovich in the chamber pop band p:ano, synth-pop duo Fake Tears, early pop- choir ingenues The Choir Practice, as well as stints as a touring member of How to Dress Well and Destroyer. She is best known for layering vocals and synthesized sounds, and for making abstract themes relatable through her questioning lyrics and poetic sensibilities. Kellarissa composed Voice Leading during lockdowns and times of uncertainty, allowing her to explore her psyche through her music: “Creating in this vacuum had a wild effect on me, had me constantly doubting my own abilities. My imposter syndrome was off the charts at times. But I pushed myself to continue writing and recording, and to face the effects problematic drinking and pent-up mental anguish had on my creativity and sense of self; it gave me the perspective to discover areas in which I needed help and healing in my life.” Although the album was self-produced and recorded, Kellarissa enlisted the help of Jesse Gander (Japandroids, The Pack A.D.) and Jeff Cancade (Devours, The Golden Age of Wrestling) for final mixing touches, and the record was...

Kellarissa

Ocean Electro

Mint

Larissa Loyva first became entangled with Mint Records in 2005 with P:ano, her project with Nicholas Krgovich. Since then, she has had her hand in a boatload of projects including Fake Tears and The Choir Practice, and has served as a touring member of Destroyer and How To Dress Well. Loyva has also released two solo albums on Mint under the name Kellarissa, which is Finnish for “in the basement”. This project returns in 2018 with Ocean Electro, proposing a new genre which entangles femme psych-electronica with driving synth-pop. The album is dedicated to the planet’s mysterious forces, namely the ocean, in all its metaphorical and natural powers. Citing influences as diverse as Vi Subversa, Pulp, Christopher Isherwood, Visage, and an entire poem by Sylvia Plath, this album features sophisticated and ethereal vocals that bring to mind Molly Nilsson or the West Coast experimental pop of White Poppy. While continuing to explore the endless possibilities of using loops to compose, beginning with 2008’s Flamingo, Ocean Electro adds driving bass and an infectious buoyancy. It effortlessly embodies menace, joy and determination—while dark tides churn, Kellarissa reminds us to stay attuned to the lift to come, for a future less determined by clever men.

Kellarissa

Flamingo

Mint

Kellarissa

Moon Of Neptune

Mint

***With her ethereal voice laid majestically over myriad ambitious harmonies built with synthesizers and looping pedals, LARISSA LOYVA’s sophomore album is a looming presence on the horizon of the Canadian music scene. While critics adored her work with P:ANO, THE CHOIR PRACTICE and on her lauded 2008 debut Flamingo, KELLARISSA (Finnish for "in the basement") bares her soul more honestly and nakedly than ever on her epic opus Moon of Neptune. Recorded with producer/synthesizer enthusiast JOSH STEVENSON at Otic Sound from June to November of 2010, with additional drum programming by CERTAIN BREED’s DAVE REYNOLDS, this unique album took shape during the aftermath of a long-term relationship. Others might not have undertook such a project at such a vulnerable time, but Larissa embraced this opportunity to channel her energy into being productive and reconnecting with her first love. Her lyrics and inflections betray her tribulations,while her songwriting reveals her influences, including her Scandinavian heritage, films, ancient Egypt, Nico, outer space, and eccentric Australian designer, Florence Broadhurst (1899–1977), whose artwork graces the cover of the album. Though the weight of transmutation hangs heavy over much of the album, there are moments of triumph and extroversion. The organ may lend a somber quality to "Sisu" and its Finnish lyrics, but a translation unveils a story of resistance, having the chutzpah to persevere despite hardship. Running almost seven minutes, "Niagara" captures the space and nature themes running through the record, with Loyva's delayed vocals solemnly proclaiming the end of the world over a...