The writing’s on the wall—now all we have to do is decipher it. Musician and composer Tristan Bechet, known professionally as TRZTN, has released a new single, “Hieroglyphs” featuring Karen O. Along with several other evocative tracks pulled from the collaborative album, “Hieroglyphs” builds on the lore of Royal Dagger Ballet. They all move with choreographed precision in an industrial sanctuary where TRZTN is most comfortable. Listen to Royal Dagger Ballet wherever you stream music and watch “Hieroglyphs” below.

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“Without holding back, I embarked on a phantasmagorical way of production – sculpting sound more than composing conventionally. I recorded clangs and digital white noise. I re-shaped her voice, deformed the structure, and resampled her own vocals creating the main staccato vocal theme. The track disintegrates and falls back together like the push and pull of a rubber band stretching.” – TRZTN

A hesitant cloud fills the speakers with wind from the outset. The only ‘expected’ details on “Hieroglyphs” are the nebulous chorus and incredibly faint, pulsing bassline. Everything else is like a chrome daydream come to life, down to the oddly satisfying metallic clangs that hit at just the right moments. Eventually, the bridge takes over for Karen O and lambasts through what could serve as a second verse despite its rapidly unraveling structure.

Bechet and Karen O are frequent collaborators, having created the Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack together among other projects. On “Hieroglyphs,” their unique facets are on display, from his skill as a seamless producer and hers as a compelling, delicate voice. Not to downplay Karen O’s vast skill set! But here, Bechet takes on most of the responsibility. He describes his own production style on this track as disintegration and sculpture, giving insight into his artist’s philosophy: all sound is music.

Listen to Royal Dagger Ballet on Spotify or wherever you stream music. Follow TRZTN on Instagram and find more info on his website. Follow Karen O on Instagram and Twitter.

by: Zoë Elaine