By Keith Walsh
The Analog Girl’s music has evolved over the past decade or so from tight, minimalist synthpop to a sound that’s lush, layered, and swirly.  From her first album, 2005’s The TV Is On, The Analog Girl – whose name is Mei Wong – became well known far outside her native Singapore for a unique and compelling mix of catchy beats, dreamy vocals and fun, often mystical lyrics.

In 2020 The Analog Girl released Awe, a set of tunes even more ethereal than 2017s Golden Sugar Crystals. Now she’s remixing herself, with a release of Awe minus one element – the vocals. It’s an interesting move. When asked if she changed anything other than mute herself, she says “just the mix.” (Mei’s terse replies make me wonder if she’s trending towards vocal silence in general.)

Awe sounds wonderful as an instrumental album, as The Analog Girl’s sublimely beautiful control of synthesizer patches and effects dominate the mix. For Awe, she borrows textures from the 1970s as much as her earlier work borrows from the 80s. She uses Ableton to create her sounds. I asked about her approach to this new album: “I just let the underlying instrumental take dominance in the mix upon removing the vocal,” she says. “I try not to interfere too much with the composition.”

Fans of The Analog Girl’s vocal tunes needn’t worry after all – she’s got some new vocal tunes in the works. “I have a couple of ideas sketched out in my Notes app, and voice memos too, which I hope to flesh out in Ableton real soon,” she told me.

The Analog Girl on Facebook
The Analog Girl “Awe”
The Analog Girl on Facebook

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