Unlike some ambient music, Loyal, Jakub Alexander's release under the Heathered Pearls moniker, embraces the idea of melody with understated but distinct sounds emerging from the loops Alexander uses to construct his tracks. "I wanted to find a world that was built on repetition, erosion and melody because making these songs was about recreating soothing environments."
The album's roots lie in a very utilitarian idea: "I started writing what now has become Loyal as a mental break from my personal anxieties," Alexander says. A study in the hypnotic, calming qualities of music, Loyal is also a tribute to Alexander's mother and Aunt (featured on the cover) who were crucial in instilling the taste and aesthetics so key to his music. "My mom introduced me to my first ambient record over 10 years ago. Loyal is a response to this."
This is a record that's full of delicate beauty. It embraces fragility and lightness, sounding entirely natural despite being created electronically. Tracks ebb and flow into the mix and the songs themselves wash into your headphones like waves receding slowly into silence. The music is unabashedly beautiful with gentle currents of low level tones and gleaming sparkles of synth loops that build and decay.
