A Pillow Of Lies

Rhye “Please”

When Rhye released their first few songs back in 2013 there was a manufactured mystery about them – where did this gentle, sexy music come from, and who is this woman with the silky, gorgeous voice? This was clearly setup for the big reveal: That’s not a woman at all, that’s some guy named Mike Milosh! I get it. It’s a good story. It’s probably the only manufactured mystery around the identity of a new indie act that actually was interesting and made sense. It’s usually just a coward move.

The funny thing is that despite this being common knowledge now, the music itself still has this mysterious quality to it. Milosh’s voice is still lovely and extremely feminine – it’s not a matter of someone affecting a falsetto, it goes a lot deeper than that. How did Milosh arrive at this vocal style, and is it deliberately meant to convey vulnerability and fragility through that femininity? Is this a rejection of masculinity, or a way of expanding and adapting it? I’m not sure if I actually want the answers, I enjoy this vague tension in music that otherwise sounds rather relaxed and smooth. I also love the way Milosh and his partner Robin Hannibal create a feeling of intense intimacy in their music – listening to “Please” can feel vaguely voyeuristic, as though you’re getting access to some unguarded moment between people who truly know one another.

Buy it from Amazon.