“Let Go/Ascent” by SOHN is the Sound of Both Cosmic Horror and Existential Transcendence

SOHN, photo courtesy the artist

“Let Go/Ascent” by SOHN is almost iterative in its slow flowing, evolving harmonics and melodic pulses as the track goes from distant and dusky to bright and present. The music video depicts a sunrise and the music itself reflects a time of early morning quiescence with a sustained, slightly distorted synth drone that elevates in tone gradually and then rapidly before cutting off suddenly to give way to throbbing synth lines and an icy synth backdrop. The video for this half of the song shows an eye blinking at the rising dawn sun. Sonically it’s reminiscent of Sinoia Caves’ saturated synth work for soundtrack to Beyond the Black Rainbow and Ben Salisbury’s and Geoff Barrow’s score to Annihilation. It’s an enigmatic mood with elevated, abstract, spectral melodies anchored by distorted low end that warps and modulated the stretch out the trailing ends of tone for an effect that’s both entrancing and foreboding. Watch the video for “Let Go/Ascent” on YouTube and connect with composer and producer SOHN at the links provided. SOHN at the links provided. SOHN’s new album Albadas (Dawn Songs) is out October 10, 2025 via APM Records.