Last year, Teengirl Fantasy released their sophomore album, Tracer, a terrific collection of songs that found the duo expanding into sleeker pop territory with help from Kelela, Panda Bear and the late Romanthony. On Nun, their digital-only EP, the Ohio synth purveyors scale things back a bit, giving the listener 14 minutes of bare bones instrumental electronic music, recorded sans samples or guests.
Following the lead set by artists like Simian Mobile Disco and Laurel Halo, the four songs that make up Nun rely on technical savvy and textural layering. On the opening title track, Teengirl Fantasy craft a synthetic ebb and flow, combining crackling drums and wavering, warped melodies. The EP's next two numbers — "Epic" and "Platinum" — follow suit, layering new age synth lines on top of each other before "Nun Beat," a somewhat disposable, slowed-down version of the title track closes out the EP. With Nun, Teengirl Fantasy sound pleasantly restless and resourceful, but there aren't enough transcending moments here to make this EP anything more than a stop-gap.
(This is Music)Following the lead set by artists like Simian Mobile Disco and Laurel Halo, the four songs that make up Nun rely on technical savvy and textural layering. On the opening title track, Teengirl Fantasy craft a synthetic ebb and flow, combining crackling drums and wavering, warped melodies. The EP's next two numbers — "Epic" and "Platinum" — follow suit, layering new age synth lines on top of each other before "Nun Beat," a somewhat disposable, slowed-down version of the title track closes out the EP. With Nun, Teengirl Fantasy sound pleasantly restless and resourceful, but there aren't enough transcending moments here to make this EP anything more than a stop-gap.