There is a common misconception that pegs ambient music as a type of white noise: sounds that mirror the familiar environment, meant to be enjoyed in passing and mainly as background music. Even die-hard fans of the genre sometimes give in to this line of thinking, and their fascination with it involves de-contextualizing the music from its (conventional) function. It is almost a form of rebellion: to give undivided attention to a sound that bashfully begs to be ignored.
The latest track from Delia Beatriz, a.k.a. DEBIT, comes from a radically different place: “Overcome Isolation” sounds like it wants to override every bit of your aural perception of the known universe. Here, DEBIT constructs a sound that neither adds to or mimics the environment, but rather to strives to replace it. The Mexican-born, New York-based N.A.A.F.I. associate started dabbling in these kind of sonics on her full-length debut album Animus earlier this year, but this is the first track of hers that truly achieves a kind of “head-trip bulldozer” effect: it is not noise, but it can’t be drowned out. It is ambient music that cannot be ignored, just like the grim political climate that the song was birthed in cannot be escaped from.
“Overcome Isolation” heralds the release of Love Discipline, DEBIT’s upcoming EP. The album will be released on tape through Quiet Time, dropping on September 21. You can pre-order it here.
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