Donned in a bright orange patterned dress, finished with fringe-riddled arm’s length gloves, Toronto producer-vocalist Lydia Ainsworth took the Underground Arts stage last Saturday resembling something of a pop icon of a fever dream. Her tender, somber, melancholy-laden vocals reverberating through the little basement venue like the surreal, nocturnal pop of a Lynchian lounge singer.
Ainsworth opened her set’s stand out track “Give it Back to You” with the wry banter, “This next song is sung from the perspective of Mother Nature, and she’s mad… for good reason,” before launching into the haunting highlight track from this year’s release, the aptly environmentally monikered Phantom Forest.
While Ainsworth’s typical aesthetic might be best described as ornate, elaborate, intensely produced, her live show comes off as surprisingly minimal and bare bones. Her swelling, looping vocals remained supported by nothing but a single percussionist on an electric drum kit — showcasing her true chops in her ability of brining the most out of a precious little.
xx Christian
