Melbourne-based artist Asha Ryder West returns with She’s No Angel, a measured step further into a sound that sits between alt-pop, electronic and industrial textures. The new single builds slowly, favouring atmosphere and tension over immediate release, and places West’s vocal front and centre as the track gradually reshapes itself.
Built on a persistent bass loop, She’s No Angel layers brooding synths, arpeggiated electronics and subtle shifts in rhythm, allowing the arrangement to evolve rather than repeat. West’s vocal moves through restraint and intensity without overstatement, giving the song a sense of internal momentum that mirrors its themes.
Lyrically, the track focuses on conflict rather than resolution. West frames the song around the idea of confronting the “shadow self”, the push and pull between confidence and doubt, self-belief and insecurity. It’s a reflective approach that avoids neat conclusions, instead sitting with the tension of trying to reconcile competing versions of identity.
The single was produced by West herself, with mixing and mastering handled by Dorian West. Both describe a long development process, with the song passing through multiple versions before settling into its final form. Trumpet parts added late in the process lend a cinematic edge without overwhelming the track’s core minimalism.
Accompanying the release is a video directed by Jyo Miyaji, filmed at the Wool Mill in Brunswick East. The clip visualises the song’s internal conflict through dual angel-and-demon versions of West, extending the track’s themes into a surreal but grounded visual language.
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