The Kiss is the fourth album by Izabela Kałduńska, known as The New Solarism. Written during the first lockdown of 2020 and recorded later in Leipzig, the music was originally composed for a remote theatre piece by Berlin author Tomas Blum. Although the production was never finished, the music survived as a standalone work – ten pieces, each tied to a different emotional state explored in the script.
Every sound on the album comes from violin, with only light effects and loops added. There are no guest musicians, no extra layers. Everything was written, recorded, and performed by Kałduńska alone. The track titles – including “Shock,” “Fear,” “Peace,” and “The End” – reflect the emotional focus. Each piece stays close to its subject without overplaying it.
The first track, “Shock,” sets a tense and clipped rhythm that continues into “Fear,” which uses short bow strokes and percussion to build pressure. Some tracks are quieter, but they never fall into softness. Even “Peace” feels unsettled – written as a reaction to recent years of conflict, it questions more than it answers. “The End,” taken from the original theatre piece, closes the album with more space but no resolution.
Kałduńska doesn’t imitate anyone, but her approach may appeal to listeners who follow artists like Arvo Pärt or Nils Frahm – not because it sounds the same, but because it works with few tools and leaves space around the music. A number of pieces could be used in film or theatre, especially scenes where emotion is shifting but not spoken aloud.
The album isn’t polished in a studio sense, and it doesn’t try to impress. It does exactly what it says it will do: give shape to feelings, using just the violin.
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