On her latest, “Red Wine” Alysha welcomes listeners into a gritty, soundworld that’s as intimate as it is edgy. Based on stripped-down, trip-hop-indebted beats, the song’s success lies in its minimalism, unfussy beats, and open textures that give her voice space to gasp, ache, and eventually soar.
There’s a quiet strut to Alysha’s delivery from the very first notes. Her velvety, rich voice takes center stage here, smooth against a backdrop of dark synths and rhythm. The effect is a sound that’s as fragile as it is forceful, further evidence that might doesn’t always follow decibels, but presence.
“Red Wine” cuts deep. Alysha finesses the knotty emotions of jealousy, fragility, and self-confidence with knife-like precision. When she sings, it’s both a medieval confession and an act of reclamation, a moment of clarity in the form of pop wrapped up inside layers and layers of velvet tones.
What makes “Red Wine” so compelling is its duality, the conflict between softness and strength, feeling and command. Alysha doesn’t sing, she barks orders, layering harmonies that bloom and fade like smoke. It's thrilling, pulling listeners into its orbit.
With this release, Alysha demonstrates she ain’t afraid to get real with it or blur genre lines while she’s at it. “Red Wine” is a song that sticks around, slow-burning, sultry, and beautifully held in check. A heady reminder that, sometimes, the most potent moments rise out of simply allowing the silence between beats to sound itself.