The young Woodstock-native producer Evan Shornstein, aka Photay, built up a following as part of the Astro Nautico crew and has recently linked up with the esteemed indie and experimental hub Mexican Summer. His first release for the label was last year’s Waking Hours LP. The second is out today, a collaboration with Ukrainian-American vocalist golda may called “Villain.” The track, which the pair recorded back in 2018, begins as a mesmerizing mood piece but gradually builds into something direct and ecstatic. Photay’s beat forcefully burbles and morphs with a stylish grace, like tectonic plates shifting beneath golda may’s expressive, Björk-esque vocal. Despite the chaos, it never loses its sense of grand serenity.

Here’s a quote from Photay about recording the song:

I had arrived home after a long stretch of touring and a new tranquility hung in the air. I kicked things off with this blissful floating tone (the opening sound in “Villain”) and Ariella (golda may) instantly vocalized these complex articulate melodies over top. It’s not often you jump into a creative collaboration without any icebreaking needed.

Check out Sarina Nihei’s animated video for “Villain” below.