''Stridulum'' is the sixth release and second EP by American singer-songwriter

Zola Jesus Nika Roza Danilova (born Nicole Rose Hummel; April 11, 1989), known professionally by her stage name Zola Jesus, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her music has been noted for combining elements of electronic, industrial, ...

, released on March 9, 2010 by

Sacred Bones Records Sacred Bones Records is an American independent record label founded in 2007 and based in Brooklyn, New York. The label has released recordings from artists including Zola Jesus, David Lynch, John Carpenter, Spellling, Blanck Mass, Crystal S ...

. It was expanded into the full-length album '' Stridulum II'', released later in 2010. In August 2017, the EP was reissued into an LP, which complies the EPs '' Valusia'' and ''Stridulum''.

History

With its more sophisticated sound, ''Stridulum'' was still self-recorded over two hurried weeks between college semesters in Danilova's bedroom, rushed so it could be released in time for the 2010

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festival. No assistants were involved, except for friend Alex DeGroot who helped to record her vocals and mix the songs. "I would sit at my bed with my synths, make a beat and then layer and layer over it, then fall asleep right next to my synth and do it again the next morning", Zola Jesus said in an interview. In an interview with music blog Rock of the Arts she said: The EP's subject matter was described as 'macabre'; Danilova, who rejects the "

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" label, often uses themes of death and the

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. "I just really like that desperation that comes with the end of the world, and the aesthetics of everything being chaos, and everyone just running around in anarchy and crying and throwing up over each other", she commented.

Critical reception

Next to Zola Jesus' debut album, ''Stridulum'' was described as "an infinitely grander EP that rumbles in deference to

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's ''

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'' and suggests

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...

or a moodier

Bat for Lashes Natasha Khan (born 25 October 1979), known professionally as Bat for Lashes, is an English singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. She has released six studio albums: '' Fur and Gold'' (2006), ''Two Suns'' (2009), '' The Haunt ...

in its towering production".

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered Alternative rock, alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres includin ...

placed it at number 37 on its list "The Top 50 Albums of 2010".

Track listing

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stridulum Ep 2010 EPs Zola Jesus albums