Rachika Nayar`s Fragments consists of 11 shorts. Delicate, intricate, petite symphonies made solely from electric guitar, treated, fed through effects pedals, and delay. Flickering fractions and aching tremolo arcs, overdubbed, intertwining, improvised, lockdown loops, recorded and mastered in her Brooklyn bedroom. Despite their brevity, tracks such as Redeye still feel “epic”. The piece in question, echoing the ambient work of Robin Guthrie, raising a fragile microtonal fog, or veil. 

The cascading counterpoint of Memory As Miniatures conjures idealized July skies.  

The speedier Clarity is balanced, perfectly poised, between the tender techno of John Beltran`s Ten Days Of Blue, and the post-rock of Papa M`s Live From A Shark Cage.

The story-telling lead lines shine on something like Forgiveness, while the backwards coda of Whateverness is the guitar equivalent of glossolalia. The latter track recalling Explosions In The Sky`s much-loved Prince Avalanche score. 

The atmospheric August 31st simmers like a stylized Steve Hiett snapshot. 

There`s a country twang to the plucked and picked strings on Parking Lots which bring to mind the gentle cosmic Americana of Raymond Richards` The Lost Art Of Wandering. There`s also a dash of Durutti Column at their prettiest. 

These sketches for summer provide not only a glimpse into the process behind the more evolved compositions on Rachika`s recent debut long-player, Our Hands Against The Dusk, but also succeed as a sublime, sweetly satisfying, stand alone set. I can’t wait to hear more. 

Rachika Nayar`s Fragments was released on August 13th, by RVNG Intl.