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Maria Somerville\u2019s calmness radiated through the space; even the people at the bar had quieted down to listen to this divine take on shoegaze. On the hi-fi system, you could almost close your eyes and taste it: a caramelized noise with a soft goth-folk core. Her music swirled you into a lumbering drift, entangling you in soft-spoken stories of home that pricked like rose thorns. It was a delicious dream, so easy to lose yourself in, like being in a distorted light tunnel off the Irish coast, or deep underwater looking up through a fisheye lens at angels floating in the sky.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Irish songwriter whispers guided us through vivid nostalgia. Her ambient orchestrations turned songwriting into lightscapes of inner-worldly secrets. Her music carried the soulful legacy of Grouper\u2019s drone-pop, built on angelic vocal layering and instruments lost in church echoes. While emerging from a core of sensitive folk, the ethereal production sounded like Cocteau Twins lost in a digital soup, evoking a sonic landscape radically detached from rational space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n As the show progressed, the calmness expanded into a profound sense of self-intimacy. The vocal mantras led to a place of transcendence, which seemed to be the main theme at Espace S.A.T. Between sets, Dave P., wearing a \u201cChoose Transcendence\u201d hoodie, perfectly curated this mood by playing tracks like F\u00fcxa\u2019s cover of Daniel Johnston\u2019s “Some Things Last a Long Time.<\/em>” It felt safe, and invited a deeper approach to listening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The experience was not only calming but deeply fulfilling, as Maria Somerville’s music expanded the formal style of shoegaze into a form of her own through her latest album Luster<\/em>. With songs like “Projections of You” <\/em>which touch on sensitive subjects of loss, her music evokes an emotional presence that calmly bring us back to the realities of life. A reminder that music is not only a form of entertainment, but has a sacred quality. It is the kind of music that feeds you, that brings you back to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n This show is one to be remembered. Maria Somerville has unequivocally achieved a form of music which transcends, and Making Time XXV <\/em>was there in its blossoming moments, to highlight that effervescent feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n