Listen To Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith’s Enchanting New Single “Arthropoda”

You might not be super familiar with Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith's name but you might've heard her sound design work in the outro of Panda Bear's "Boys Latin" video. Over the past two years, the Washington native has released two albums of ambient electronic music on Western Vinyl and is now gearing up to put out her third, titled EARS. Standout single “Arthopoda" is like an enchanting maze: Smith uses a Buchla synthesizer to create an amazing array of electronic sounds that conjure up forest-like imagery for her voice to get lost in.

"In recording EARS, my intention was to take audiences on a sonic motion ride through a futuristic jungle," Smith told The FADER over email. "I am inspired by the works of Moebius and Miyazaki—in particular the film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind—I wanted to play with visceral sounds that pull one between feelings of beauty and dissonance, chaos and order. My hope is that, on a straight-through listen, in a darkened room, on a loud stereo, EARS will inspire a rich visual narrative in listeners' minds."

Western Vinyl will release EARS is in April. Catch Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith on tour with Animal Collective this February (tickets).

This text was amended on 1/26/16 to reflect the fact Smith's sound design for Panda Bear was for one specific video, "Boys Latin."