Stereo Embers TRACK OF THE DAY - The Darkly Flowering Beauty Of Miserable's "Orchid" - Stereo Embers Magazine Stereo Embers Magazine

Written by: Jen Dan

Kristina Esfandiari may not exactly be a name that stands out in the crowded musical spotlight, but she is there lurking in the shadowy subconscious as a member of the American (nu)shoegaze band Whirr and psych-metal trio King Woman.

Kristina strikes out on her own under the wretchedly direct moniker Miserable, but she brings the blended, noir sonic baggage of Whirr and King Woman with her on this solo outing. Miserable’s distorted guitar frisson remains thick and fuzzy and menacing and Kristina’s haunting vocals are marked by a radiant despondency.

She may be miserable, but it all sounds so sublime.

Kristina’s latest offering as Miserable is the Deluxe Edition of Halloween Dream EP, which came out September 4^th on The Native Sound. It’s a bittersweet treat of the 4 tracks that originally comprised her Halloween Dream EP from 2014, as well as the demo versions for each song and a previously unreleased tune “Palmistry Notes” which was recorded during the Halloween Dream sessions. On the captivating cut “Orchid”, Kristina perches precariously on a cliff’s edge and then dives into the depths, her wandering, drawn out vocals twining with and drowning amid the tumultuous roil of the distorted guitars and driving cymbal crash. A pronounced drum beat sporadically punctuates the verses and then fires off during the chorus as Kristina gloomily, but alluringly bemoans her fate.

In the accompanying disquieting video for “Orchid”, which may be a metaphor for her disturbed mindset, Kristina enters a dream (well, more like nightmare) world where she is surrounded by proffered flowers and then proceeds to be (permanently?) submerged face-up in a bathtub. Check out the official video for “Orchid” below: