Kedr Livanskiy Releases New 'K-Notes' EP

Kedr Livanskiy (neé Yana Kedrina) has released her new EP, K-Notes. It’s an expert fusion of drum and bass, trance, and alt-pop anchored by Kedrina’s signature crystalline vocals.

K-Notes feels at once nostalgic and remarkably current: Livanskiy filters today’s UK revivalism through her own unique lens, shaped by her upbringing in the underground music scene and her personal love of early electronic and alternative music. 

The EP comes alongside her self-directed, Twin Peaks inspired video for its title track, “K-Notes”. Livanskiy explains, “This story is about two sides of a person – the main character on the road (the light side) and the character in the black wig (the dark side).  It's like Agent Cooper's tulpa in the third season of Twin Peaks. The dark side constantly wants to trap and destroy (self-destruction), but the hero eventually refuses the path of self-destruction and leaves to look for their bright path.”

Kedr’s longstanding fascination with the natural world is still apparent in her lyrics, sung in her native Russian. Throughout these tracks, lovers disappear into clouds, seek shelter from the rain, and look back fondly on summers past.

As always, Kedrina has a remarkable knack for world-building: her rich compositions envelop the listener in a dream-world so visceral that it transcends the barriers of language. Concise but immersive, K-Notes is a fresh dose of ebullience from an artist at the top of her craft. 

Bright and upbeat, K-Notes is more akin sonically to Kedrina's 2019 album Your Need than her recent work. Where Your Need was a neon-tinged ode to early house, dub, and breakbeat, Liminal Soul saw her infuse her electronic compositions with organic textures and hone in on her vocal technique.

More recently, she chased that inspiration further and teamed up with her partner Flaty to form the indie duo Kosaya Gora, experimenting with guitar-based folk and dream pop compositions on their debut record Kosogor. Her artistic focus has once again found the dance floor, and on K-Notes she channels the sounds of her spirited live show into a dynamic new collection. 

Photo By Anastasia Pozhidaeva