Los Angeles-via-Singapore musician Linying will release her sophomore album, Swim, Swim, on April 4 via Nettwerk. Inspired by the time she spent living on the remote Filipino island of Siargao where she experienced a “parallel discovery of self and femininity”, the record reflects on moments of transitory turmoil and existential realignment throughout the lens of fluid curiosity.
“By learning to lean into the unpredictable but also wildly beautiful landscape that surrounded me, I developed an intimacy with the part of myself that’s ruled by feeling and desire, after a lifetime of being partial to my rational mind,” says Linying. “For me these songs contain moments of rare feminine empowerment derived not from manipulating the circumstances with brute strength, but from reframing the narrative in a way that made me feel on top of it.“
She continues: “My natural tendency is to ruminate and pick everything apart, but with this album there was a constant flow of movement. The main priority was creating something that felt good to everyone involved, and there was a rejection of logic and reasoning that felt completely new and exciting to me.“
Lead single “Blondie” is a composite of ephemeral dream-pop memories and synth-soaked fantasies. Her voice rises above our terrestrial realm and contains a multitude of emotional gravities. Backed by a punchy bit of drumming, the music eventually lifts skyward, reaching up to match the atmospheric heights of Linying’s shimmering vocals. There’s hesitation here as well, a part of her that isn’t yet sure of how much she wants to reveal, even as she’s lifting us up into the lower mesosphere.
“It’s about a beautiful, idyllic day I spent swimming in a lagoon with someone I’d just met,” she says. “I felt so happy and light, but at the same time there was a part of me that kept thinking, ‘I’m not actually this light. You don’t know who I really am.’“
Watch the video for “Blondie” below.
Swim, Swim is due out April 4 via Nettwerk. Follow Linying on Instagram , X, and TikTok.
