Maria Teriaeva will release her third solo album, Sayan – Savoie, on February 7. The recording sessions for the Siberian-born, Paris-based synthesist’s latest collection took place between 2022-2024 and took her to studios in Annecy and Paris. The album finds the queer musician tackling themes of exile (the LGBTQIA+ community has been labeled an extremist organization in her homeland) and finding comfort in putting down roots in a new place. Known for her unique explorations of the Buchla Easel synthesizer, she uses its unique oscillations to inform her personal travelogue of emotional turmoil.
“While working on this album, I found myself reflecting on what unites us, rather than divides us, especially now,” says Teriaeva. “In places that seem so different – Siberia’s Sayan Mountains, where I grew up, and the French Alps in Savoie, where I ended up – I noticed common threads: snowy mountains, a closeness to nature and shared scents, a slower pace of life, and solitude. Most powerfully, I felt a deep sense of familiarity, with flashes of childhood, even in a foreign place.“
On recent single “eaaasy – peaaasy”, she makes a statement of transitory unease, wobbly permutations working through various tempos with melodies that slink behind the fog of her heightened environmental awareness. Synths shiver and squeak, wandering through unfamiliar landscapes and higher atmospheres. But despite the curious alignment of her melodic sensibilities, she maintains a pop framework on which she hangs these fractured vibrations. There’s a feeling of loosened inhibitions and freedom of movement, resulting in a track that’s as closely guarded to her as it is revelatory to us.
Listen below.
Sayan – Savoie is due out Jan 17. You can pre-order the album here. Follow Teriaeva on Facebook and Instagram.
