Lauri Lest

Undercurrents

2025 | album

Album cover photo by Heleliis Hõim

“On his third album, Lauri Lest continues his explorations into a multidimensional imaginary space, with its main threads of warm and fuzzy electronic timbres, dreamily nostalgic sonorities, and precisely gauged rhythmic contrasts. Whereas his earlier albums hinted at dark synth music among other things, this one conjures up a world of organic retrofuturism. Under a cosmically expansive gaze, the biosphere of an unknown but oddly familiar planet unfolds.

Entirely created with hardware synthesizers, the album represents a musical journey with multiple waypoints, where soft noise and rustle merge into flowing ambient layers and undulating melodies. Harmonic progressions traverse a pleasantly consonant plane, creating a sense of calm detachment—yet occasional, more emotive digressions surprise with their human vulnerability. The rhythm section combines different registers in an IDM-like way, with broken rhythms giving way to the sonic power of dub. The celestial body is set into rotation with forceful gestures, only to take a breath, gather strength, and let things run their course for a while. Might this be the planet Solaris from sci-fi literature, manifesting people’s dreams, childhood memories, and subconscious desires? In any case, the album offers the listener ample opportunities to connect with the undercurrents of their own everyday life.”

— text by Kaur Garšnek

Each single from this album is accompanied by a music video by Inessa Saarits, filmed with a microscope. Scroll down to watch the music videos.

The cover art for both the album and the singles was photographed by Estonian artist Heleliis Hõim in the Monteverde Cloud Forest, Costa Rica.

The track “Vaskjala” was created during Lauri Lest’s residency at Copper Leg Residency in Vaskjala, Estonia, in November 2023. It draws inspiration from local legends—the tale of the Vaskjala bridge maiden, who longed to become the Moon’s companion, and the story of the wicked manor lord of Ussiaugu (Snake Hole), whose cruelty doomed him to be forever pursued by snakes.

Released on April 3rd, 2025

All tracks composed, recorded and mixed by Lauri Lest
Mastered by Zino Mikorey
Cover art by Heleliis Hõim
Music videos by Inessa Saarits

Special thanks to Copper Leg Residency, Cultural Heritage & Conservation department of Estonian Academy of Arts and everyone else for their support! The release of the album “Undercurrents” is supported by Estonian Authors’ Society and Cultural Endowment of Estonia.