Far is the new release from duo Komplement, who focus on crafting music through sensitively layered electronic production.
Komplement originally started as two solo artists - multi-instrumentalist De Rien and singer-songwriter Head Under Water. Having met last year and collatorated on a single Soar, they began playing live shows and DJ sets in Germany and further afield. Working together De Rien is able to create the underlying groove behind their music, providing the bass and percussion, whilst Head Under Water creates the melodic centre of the music through chords and vocals. Talking about their style and approach, Komplement highlight that their music isn’t just about the words and lyrics, but the way the songs come together:
“Our storytelling is just as much a matter of the right synthesizer at the right time, as it is about a word, it’s pitch, the evocation of context.”
Far is a considered and artfully constructed piece of music. With emotive vocals combining with gently deconstructed rhythms and synths, the song makes good use of space. Indeed the duo make references to sparsity and creating space in their description of the song:
“If this song were a shot in a film, it would be a scene where the actor simply moves out of the screen, disappearing, and leaving the camera still filming.”
I can feel that mood coming through here - loneliness, determination and vulnerability.