FREE FALL blends academy training with disparate genre influences into blissful, minimalist R&B. Multitalented singer-songwriter VIA brings a personal mix of genres to her debut album, with a style refined over the course of several years of releasing covers and original songs. The artist grew up listening to a diverse spectrum of soul, jazz and hip-hop and her influences span the generations, from greats like Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin to ’90s pop. She draws on her training in contemporary writing and production from Berklee College of Music to fuse retro elements to the stripped-down production of alt-R&B. When the classic TR-808 beat kicks in on opener “floating ice”, it sets the stage for the album’s chill vibe—and this coolness serves as an emotional counterweight on ballads that send the singer off on romantic flights of fancy. There’s a dreamy atmosphere on many tracks conjured up by neo-soul guitar flavours and layered vocals—true to the DIY spirit, VIA contributes her own lush harmonies, handles programming and production and performs all of the instruments. On one fanciful track, the laid-back, atmospheric “Escape 桃花源” (“Escape Peach Blossom Spring”), she taps into Chinese source material by name-checking a traditional utopian fable to set up a carefree, intimate getaway. And that’s just one adventure—on FREE FALL, VIA takes a whole series of boundary-pushing excursions into the sonic possibilities of love.