Danish singer/songwriter Andrea Novel named herself for a 2,000 year old, uncannily preserved body discovered in a peat bog near the village of Yde in the Netherlands. If that doesn’t make it abundantly clear, she hasn’t come to mess about. Recording as Ydegirl, she deftly combines elements of the Nordic baroque scene with piercingly modern elements of R&B, pop, and folk. It’s an alluring, even mysterious concoction, existing quite in a world of its own, yet immediately ready to be dove into.
Her latest song under the moniker, “Parody of Crime”, and the first offering from her just announced self-titled debut album is a perfect display of her varying influences and undeniable talent. Beginning rather starkly, appearing to be a stripped back folk track, it gradually brings in a tapestry of woodwinds before plunging even further with a sudden burst of beckoning percussion. It’s a song as layered as it is addicting. Her desire to meld the old and the new, blending classical instruments such as clarinets and violins with synthesizers and electronic drum patterns creates an altogether exciting experience.
All this is before she pulls the rug out from under you in the song’s final moments, looking an unknown perpetrator squarely in the face and boldly uttering, “fuck you for making me the issue.” Suffice to say, it’s a ride.
Check it out below, and look out for Ydegirl come October 15th via Escho.
You can find Ydegirl on Instagram.
