Singapore Music News: Meet vylt, A Darksynth & Synthwave Witch Wholl Have You Under Her Spell (2024)

Double double toil and trouble; there’s something in the local scene that’s ready to bubble. Forging a distinctive identity is integral in standing out amongst the pool of composers and producers, and where that’s concerned, vylt is standing tall. Here we have a rising musician who identifies as a “violet-tinted witch of the wilds”, and she reinforces the alias vividly with fitting performance garb and songcraft that prolong the fascination. Dressed in black, gothic magic-caster apparel with an aura of mystery, vylt has conjured a repertoire that’s both brutal and delicate, all simmering together in a musical cauldron that’s cooked up quite an impact.

The nascent catalogue of vylt is derived from a hodgepodge of influences, emerging from the realms of darksynth, synthwave and even metal. On the analog horror-inspired “&nvy”, she tackles one of the seven deadly sins with a gnarly, fanged chomper that bites down with low-end dagger synths and crunchy beats, festooned unapologetically with divine pipe organ riffs. Meanwhile, she addresses vivisection as a social evil on “VYVYSECTION”, an overblown, sci-fi pounder that would fit well in the cyberpunk genre, pummelling with supernova percussions and old-school Sega synth hooks.

vylt even received international traction when “VYLLAINOUS” was released on Synths Without Borders, a Halloween charity album all the way from Glasgow. Raising funds for Doctors Without Borders, she engineered an elaborate and headbanging escapade – inspired by classic Hollywood horros like Dr. Jekyll and Frankenstein – that fuses her electronic witchery with organic instrumentation. Alongside ’80s synthwave textures that showcase vylt’s affection for retro illusions, the song features a tough armour of metal guitars that give it a theatrical rock edge, as well as the menacing and athletic violin trails of guest act, M DRAKO.