Sound waves hypnotise us into a journey of self-discovery and mindfulness in SOTOYOTO's latest works

SOTOYOTO

Other Words For Dusk

Wiltshire, United Kingdom

SOTOYOTO releases an experimentation of sound waves and sonics which hypnotises us into a journey of self-discovery and mindfulness.

In the tracks ‘Mystic Redemption’ and ‘Dark Introduction’ we see a more eerie theme taking place. There is a slight dissonance with the incorporation of electronic sound waves, which gives it almost a robotic touch and makes it more of a futuristic–like track. This is the same in ‘Labotari_A’, SOTOYOTO cleverly makes the sound waves die away and come back, really helping you stay fixated on those fading frequencies, and its effect is quite calming.

Other tracks I believe incorporated themes of a calming nature which can serve to boost productivity and as pleasant background noise. This was particularly prevalent in ‘Wanting To Fly’ and ‘Saddest Hill’. The illusion these sound waves gives helps us remain calm and be at ease with our inner thoughts, and with the clever drops of slight splashing noises really elevate the album's earthly message of being at ease with yourself and your thoughts. This theme is repeated in ‘Ambition’ which is my favourite track on the album. I felt, particularly in this, there was an effective ability to really transport the listener to their own spiritual journey, as though you’re being taken on an exploration of your deepest thoughts, and it’s quite fascinating that this can be achieved through the use of sound waves and sonic.

Some tracks also had slight scatters of charms throughout which I felt was quite tasteful for the spiritual connotations of the album. ‘The Starmaker’ and ‘Ghost In The Gong’ SOTOYOTO fused these tracks with layers of ritualistic and spell-binding elements, creating really vivid imagery of calls to the universe or even to oneself.

‘Haikub’ I found to be one of the softer pieces, especially the beginning with its rich sound waves, really luring you into its soothing and meditating effect. However, there is a nice contrast in the middle section which develops into this upbeat track, and this made the soundscape even more pleasant due to this surprise element. It was this effective transition from more mellow sounds to funkier beats which made this quite an enjoyable listen.

‘White Flame pyre’ I found to be quite a standout track in the album through its incorporation of electronic synth, and this again added to the futuristic theme running across a few tracks. Additionally, the incorporation of messages over the track, asserting statements such as ‘white flame burn and everything must go’ really elevated this sense of calls to the universe and grounding us with these spiritual metaphors. SOTOYOTO is certainly skilled at helping listeners stay in touch with their inner thoughts and is a must-listen for anyone who enjoys practising mindful activities.

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