The ethereal and mystical-sounding trio, Painting By Numbers, first got together in 2018 when old friends Jamie Smith and Simon Vince uploaded their first demo online, only to be discovered by Estonian artist Keit Kukk who later joined and became the third member of their electronic project.
The trio’s first EP was released under AMDISCS, a label responsible for the discovery of many electronic artists today. According to the band, the label “embraced the nostalgic chillwave sound” the group was envisioning, giving their sound its first home base.
Painting By Numbers’ newest EP ‘Rivers’ feels like a collision between a sunny summer’s day on the beach and a cold winter fog. The sounds somehow simultaneously create a warm and gloomy essence, with crystal-like synths, dreamy vocals corresponding with dreamy guitars, and soaring dynamics over trappy beats, along with peculiar chimes.
My favourite song on the EP is Weakness. I love the way the masculine and feminine vocals integrate and complement each other, creating a delicate intimacy as the two voices weave in between a slightly rough track, giving a pleasant contrast to the hazy dream that is the ‘Rivers’ EP.
Overall, ‘Rivers’ has an addictive hypnotizing effect, enticing the listener to dive into a stream of enchanting sounds.
Listen to ‘Rivers’ EP by Painting By Numbers on Spotify now:
