Review: Aestrea pushes the dreamy foundations that she is known for further with her debut EP, "Cold Eyes."

On the cover of Cold Eyes, the newest release from Atlanta indie musician Aestrea, the songwriter stands in the middle of a dilapidated room in a white dress, a spotlight aimed at her face giving the appearance of a glow emanating from her face and heart. This image perfectly encapsulates the essence of the three songs to follow.

Cold Eyes leans on the dreamy foundations of a bygone era, but there’s something shiny and sultry and modern to it. The opening track begins with a sort of 50s parlor piano melody and has a classically simple repeating chorus line of “I love you darling,” but it continuously breaks that mold as the song progresses. “Cold Eyes” contains a languid guitar riff for its first minute but turns out to be the most rock-forward track on the EP. Closing number “Quiet Place” has a familiar and tasteful 80s-esque synth palette, but throws in a mid-song tempo change to keep you on your toes. The compositions are thoughtful and creative, dusting off well-loved sounds for a new generation while chewing over the time-honored subjects of love and longing. 

Aside from all the instrumental intrigue, Aestrea’s vocals are a standout across the EP; they’re often layered to feel like a distant, spacey echo, and her performance is silk smooth. You get the sense of the ethereal, or maybe the celestial. In fact, she credits her love for space and sci-fi as an inspiration, having even chosen the name of her project name for that reason. As far as other inspirations go, I sense a kinship with artists like Billie Marten, Alexandra Savior and Weyes Blood. Aestrea touches on that same vocal sweetness, yet calm sense of power. The tension that comes from her compelling instrumental choices is definitely reminiscent of Savior’s catalog in particular, while the expansiveness of the tracks feels at home with Titanic Rising. Yet, Aestrea’s tendency toward flourishes both classical and electronic distinguishes her from many of her indie pop peers. 

This is the first EP for Aestrea–which is the project of 21-year-old songwriter, producer and music teacher Shelby Miller–but it's far from a debut. Despite her age, she’s been in the game for several years now, with numerous successful singles to her name and a history of pulling from a variety of genres, including ambient, electronic and synth pop. Cold Eyes seems to represent Miller stepping even further into her own, taking a confident leap toward the ever-elusive concept of artist identity while maintaining a healthy taste for experimentation.