The more I listen to SRSQ, the less I hear Kennedy Ashlyn’s grief. Though the project was born of tragedy, last year’s debut Unreality was comprised of dream-pop ballads of varying levels of elation with a general recipe recreated for a two-track follow-up this past month. “Temporal Love” is a bold opener mirroring the rapturous choruses of “Cherish,” though “Unkept” stands out as a more unique sample of Ashlyn’s operatic vocals soaring over a blaring synth-driven beat, culminating in an industrial ecstasy rarely heard this side of Downward Spiral. The manipulated, moaning samples that open the track quickly give way to something considerably more optimistic, as she opts for an unexplored promised land she hopes is more palatable than the home she’s always known.
From SRSQ’s “Temporal Love / Unkept” 7″ single released on Dais Records, Autumn of 2019. SRSQ is the solo project of singer and songwriter Kennedy Ashlyn, the founding member of the bay-area dream pop duo Them Are Us Too. SRSQ’s pulse began after the loss of Kennedy’s closest friend and Them Are Us Too collaborator, Cash Askew, in the tragic Ghost Ship fire of 2016. Driven by this sudden, heartbreaking loss, SRSQ became the vehicle for Kennedy’s transformative process for her to explore nostalgia, reflection, and reconciliation, manifesting in the aural landscape of her 2018 debut album, Unreality. It’s been a year since the release of Unreality and 2019 has taken SRSQ around the world, touring extensively with Black Queen and Uniform, sold out performances in support of Cold Cave and Godflesh, tours with Torche and Drab Majesty, and a current run with TR/ST this fall.
Amid performances and writing in preparation for her upcoming 2020 album, Ashlyn went into the studio with producer Jorge Elbrecht, who mixed down two new tracks featured on the 7” single Temporal Love b/w Unkept. Wrapped in ethereal gauze and dreamlike textures, what SRSQ presents on this single are undeniably love songs. The B-side, “Unkept” presents an almost ceremonial incantation channeling the likes of Lisa Gerrard’s finest moments. Stirring in echoes and reverb, Ashlyn emerges alongside a slow and steady beat – rising and building: “Speak softly, my love” to create the perfect counter-balance to the dreamy pop sensibilities of “Temporal Love.”
The Fat Angel Sings 