12" EP, Limited Edition, Sleepy Sage Vinyl
Topshelf Records (2023) US
Thanya Iyer’s 2020 full-length KIND was the result of years of touring, connecting with community, and an ethos based in self-love. But rest is approached from a different angle. “rest is in many ways a reflection of myself, asking the question, “who am I when it all stops?””, explains Iyer, referencing, of course, the early pandemic and its halting effect on the world.
Being stuck at home indefinitely allowed Iyer to examine her relationship to rest on a more critical level. With this newfound downtime, Iyer began to realize an active pursuit of rest, with deliberate and kind intention, eventually turning to back songwriting as part of her new practice.
The resultant five songs that comprise rest explore Iyer’s mindful intentions through a graceful amalgam of tender pop with inflections of jazz, backed with orchestral experimentation.