9T Antiope sounds like if Björk used classical instruments to craft a a menacing bit of dark, abstract jazz on its single “Shapeshifter.” That is if she collaborated on the songwriting with Suicide. The track from the forthcoming album Horror Vacui (due out April 12, 2024 via American Dreams) uses the plucked thrum of octave violin sounding like an upright bass to help establish a hypnotic and textural rhythm that runs throughout the song like a constant presence. While bowed strings weave a mood and perhaps plucked violin adds to the minimalistic yet intricate rhythm creates a space for the vocals to brood, mandolin bubbling up in the background alongside a haunting electronic drone with all elements seeming to release all tension at the end of a song that seems to be built on taut intersections of music. It sounds like clandestine plans kept from the prying eyes of an oppressive authority are hinted at in the song with lines about keeping it down and how it’s been a long night, perhaps the only time one can feel cautiously free for lengthy passages given the circumstances. The band consisting of Nima Aghiani and Sara Bigdeli Shamloo are Iranian expatriates and likely have some experience with having to keep full creative expression under wraps as well as learning to navigate cultures not their own. How that translates directly into this music is hard to gauge but the title speaks a lot to how when you’re required to adapt to changing circumstances beyond your control something about your psyche is always shapeshifting as a way to survive. The song is haunting yet beautiful and its inventive use of rhythm, looped figures and textures gets stuck in your head. Listen to “Shapeshifter” on Spotify and follow French experimental band 9T Antiope at the links below.
Queen City Sounds and Art 
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