Post-folk newcomer Aga Ujma releases the whimsical yet haunting "In The Ocean"

Singer-songwriter Aga Ujma has a pool of influences that’s truly one-of-a-kind. Incorporating her native roots in Indonesian traditional music, the recent Slow Dance signee adds heavy helpings of Bjork to concoct a haunting psych-art-folk brew.

New single "In The Ocean" is an intrepid but ice-cold introduction to her sound. Starting as a serene lullaby, Ujma’s quiet but elasticated vocals disclose surreal and intimate poetry over a chiming instrumental; played with grace on a gamelan gendèr barung, to western ears the sounds ring out not completely unlike a vibraphone, but with a quivering depth that is distinctly different.

Halfway, the gendèr morphs into tense, creeping arpeggios as the vocals build layer upon layer, yet always retain their ghostly whisper. In just under three minutes, Ujma conjures a variety of cosmic emotions that feel like they are calling from an ancient and forgotten place.

“‘In The Ocean’ was written using traditional polyphonic Central Javanese patterns (cengkok) played on gender barung in unusual ways," explains Ujma of the track. "I extended them, chopped in little chunks and alternated some of their melodies and glued them back together, creating a mosaic with numeric music notation (kepatihan).

"Then, I fitted in a tailored singing part with a poem that reflects on the state of sadness and where it can lead us if we trust the process," she continues. "It also touches upon missing multiple homes at the same time and a psychedelic tropical picnic on a desert beach.”

The accompanying video, concocted by New York-based animator Gabriela Sibilska, perfectly mirrors the same nostalgic haze with a storybook of psychedelic ocean textures, all filtered through a VHS-like grit. If this single is anything to go by, Ujma’s upcoming EP is shaping up to be a wholly unique experience, placing her at the cutting edge of folk music in Britain.