Hailing from New York City, Skylarka is an independent musician and producer whose career spans over two decades across a remarkable spectrum of genres, including DIY punk, metal, and jazz. Her artistic journey has always been defined by exploration and reinvention. After years of performing and producing in various underground music scenes, Skylarka faced the profound challenge of long COVID, which made live shows and tours impossible. Rather than letting this obstacle halt her creativity, she transformed it into an opportunity: embracing digital platforms, she reinvented herself as a VTuber and began streaming her music production, gaming, and even crossword puzzles live on Twitch. This transition not only allowed her to maintain a direct connection with fans but also opened the door to a unique collaborative process.
Skylarka’s community actively shapes her music in real time, offering feedback, co-writing lyrics, and influencing production decisions. This approach reflects her belief that music is a shared experience, a dialogue between creator and listener, rather than a solitary act. Her influences are as eclectic as her musical style. From the bebop virtuosity of Charlie Parker to the timeless harmonies of Bart Howard, and the existentially driven punk of Iron Chic, Skylarka draws inspiration from both musical innovation and emotional storytelling. These influences converge in her work to create music that is introspective, experimental, and unapologetically personal. Despite her shift to online performance, her artistry remains rooted in the same intense emotional honesty and exploratory spirit that have defined her career. Released on December 19, 2025, “Somnorine” is Skylarka’s second full-length album since her rebirth as an online artist. The record is a sonic exploration of dreams, consciousness, and human existence, with each track rooted in a real dream the artist experienced.
This album navigates the full spectrum of emotional experience, introspection, melancholy, tension, and catharsis. Produced largely live on Twitch, “Somnorine” reflects a truly collaborative creative process, with Skylarka’s community helping to shape melodies, lyrics, and textures in real time. Her partner, Juzelle, contributed the album artwork, further emphasizing the deeply personal and communal nature of the project. Drawing on her eclectic influences, from bebop contrafacts to punk existentialism, Skylarka crafts a record that is both experimental and emotionally resonant, with unconventional production choices that deliberately push against homogenized musical norms. “Somnorine” is not merely an album; it is an invitation to inhabit the liminal space between dreams and consciousness, to explore the anxieties and beauty of existence, and to share in the vulnerability and imagination of an artist who has transformed personal challenges into a profoundly immersive creative experience.
Somnorine Album Track List:
Half-Remembered:
“Half-Remembered” by Skylarka opens “Somnorine” in a way that feels less like a conventional album introduction and more like the fragile moment between sleep and wakefulness, where fleeting images drift through the mind just beyond clarity. The track is anchored by soft, ethereal synth pads that breathe with a natural ebb and flow, creating an immediate sense of suspension and introspection. Ambient textures drift subtly in the background, layered with delicate noise and shimmer that add a tactile, almost tangible quality to the sonic space. The instrumentation never overwhelms; instead, it gently envelops the listener, inviting them to wander through the hazy corridors of memory that the track evokes. Its slow, deliberate pacing allows every tone and texture to resonate fully, mirroring the fragmented nature of half-remembered dreams, moments that are vivid yet just out of reach, transient yet emotionally potent.
As the piece unfolds, additional layers emerge gradually, each one enhancing the dreamlike atmosphere without disrupting the delicate balance. Sparse melodic elements weave in and out, their soft arpeggios and evolving tonal shifts suggesting fleeting recollections and subtle emotional undercurrents. Underlying rhythmic pulses are present but restrained, almost imperceptible, giving a sense of heartbeat or movement that propels the piece forward in a natural, organic way. The instrumentation interacts like a conversation of textures rather than a traditional melody-and-accompaniment structure: shimmering pads respond to ambient drones, subtle harmonic shifts ripple through the mix, and occasional percussive elements punctuate the space lightly, adding depth and dimension. The sonic choices reflect Skylarka’s mastery of atmosphere, every element feels intentional, designed to evoke the sensation of a memory fading in and out of consciousness.
By the track’s closing moments, the layers gently dissolve, leaving the listener with a lingering sense of introspection and emotional resonance rather than a defined conclusion. The ambient elements fade like mist, while soft harmonic echoes continue to resonate in the mind long after the sound itself has ended. This subtle fade reinforces the song’s conceptual focus on ephemeral memory and the delicate beauty of experiences that never fully crystallize. “Half-Remembered” succeeds not through conventional dynamics or climactic moments, but through the quiet power of texture, tone, and emotional depth. It serves as a perfect opening for “Somnorine”, introducing the album’s conceptual narrative through immersive instrumentation alone, and establishing a space where the listener can inhabit the liminal, dreamlike world that Skylarka has meticulously crafted.
Pallid Moonscape:
“Pallid Moonscape” unfolds as one of the most evocative and texturally rich tracks on Somnorine, immediately immersing the listener in a nocturnal, almost otherworldly landscape. The track opens with a sparse, crystalline synth motif that evokes moonlight glinting on still waters, delicate yet precise in its placement. Beneath this, a soft, undulating bassline provides a subtle grounding, giving the composition a sense of depth and spatial awareness without ever overpowering the fragile melodic elements above. Atmospheric drones drift in and out, shimmering like distant celestial bodies, creating a feeling of vast emptiness and contemplative solitude. The arrangement’s restrained layering allows each tonal element to be fully appreciated, highlighting Skylarka’s meticulous attention to detail in shaping the sonic environment. From the very beginning, the track establishes a sense of introspection and ethereal melancholy, painting a “moonscape” that feels simultaneously intimate and expansive.
As the track develops, additional textures gradually emerge, enhancing its immersive, cinematic quality. Soft, echoing percussive elements enter subtly, punctuating the flow without disrupting the serene momentum, while faint arpeggiated synths weave intricate patterns around the main motif, evoking the shimmer of moonlight across varied terrain. The harmonic progression evolves slowly, with subtle shifts in chord color that maintain the track’s reflective and haunting atmosphere. Occasional tonal swells and reverb-drenched accents suggest a gentle cosmic tension, as if the moonscape itself is alive, breathing, and shifting in real time. The interplay between low, grounded sounds and high, delicate synth textures creates a multidimensional auditory landscape, allowing listeners to feel both the physical space and the emotional resonance of the composition. The track’s pacing and textural choices reinforce the dreamlike quality, making it a piece that rewards repeated attentive listening.
By the conclusion, “Pallid Moonscape” gradually releases its tension, tapering layers in a manner that mirrors the fading light of a pale moon dipping below a distant horizon. The drones, arpeggios, and percussive echoes slowly dissipate, leaving behind an airy, almost weightless silence that lingers in the listener’s consciousness. The track’s power lies not in dramatic peaks or climactic moments, but in its consistent, immersive emotional depth and meticulous sonic detailing. It captures a quiet, reflective beauty, the sense of wandering through a spectral lunar landscape where each sound resonates like a memory or thought suspended in space. “Pallid Moonscape” exemplifies Skylarka’s skill in crafting deeply atmospheric instrumental narratives, balancing technical precision with emotional subtlety, and further solidifies “Somnorine” as an album of profound introspection and exquisite sound design.
Unearthly Vagabond:
“Unearthly Vagabond” by Skylarka immediately immerses the listener in a haunting, liminal soundscape, one that perfectly embodies the ethereal and wandering essence suggested by its title. The track opens with a slowly unfolding drone layered with shimmering synth textures, creating a sense of weightless motion as if drifting through an alien sky. Sparse, distant melodic fragments appear intermittently, like fleeting glimpses of a world just beyond comprehension. There is a tactile depth to the instrumentation, with subtle modulation and reverberation applied to each element, giving them a floating, almost spectral presence. The pacing is deliberate and unhurried, encouraging the listener to sink into the track’s expansive, atmospheric layers. Every tone feels meticulously placed, contributing to the overarching sensation of an endless journey through a landscape that is at once alien and emotionally resonant, capturing the listener’s imagination from the first note.
As the composition develops, additional elements gradually reveal themselves, enhancing the sense of narrative progression within the track. Gentle percussive pulses, almost like distant footsteps or the rhythm of a wandering heart, begin to emerge beneath the ethereal synth layers, providing a subtle grounding effect that reinforces the vagabond motif. Harmonically, the track remains fluid and amorphous, with shifting tonal colors that evoke both mystery and melancholy, suggesting the emotional complexity of an uncharted journey. Arpeggiated synth lines weave in and out of the central drone, creating movement and guiding the listener through the sonic terrain without dictating a fixed path. The layering is masterfully done, allowing each sonic element to breathe while interacting dynamically with others, maintaining a delicate balance between tension and release. Textural contrasts, from airy pads to slightly distorted tones, imbue the track with an otherworldly richness, reinforcing the concept of traversing an unfamiliar, almost spiritual landscape.
By the track’s conclusion, “Unearthly Vagabond” gently recedes, leaving only the soft remnants of drones and harmonic echoes that linger in the listener’s consciousness, evoking the sensation of having traveled through a dream or memory. The fade-out is gradual and purposeful, reinforcing the idea of endless wandering and the ephemeral nature of the experiences conveyed. What makes this track particularly compelling is its ability to communicate a strong narrative and emotional depth without the use of melody-driven hooks or conventional structures; instead, it relies entirely on texture, atmosphere, and subtle motion. Skylarka’s careful attention to sonic detail, from the placement of drones to the modulation of arpeggios and the spatial depth of reverb, transforms “Unearthly Vagabond” into an immersive experience that feels both alien and intimately human, a journey that mirrors the conceptual arc of “Somnorine” itself: introspective, expansive, and hauntingly beautiful.
Mo(u)rning Lazarus:
“Mo(u)rning Lazarus” explodes into existence with an unrelenting force, opening with jagged, distorted guitar riffs that immediately grab the listener and pull them into a charged, high-octane atmosphere. From the first chord, there’s a palpable tension, the guitars roar with a gritty, almost tactile energy, their riffs cutting through the mix with precision and aggression, setting the stage for a sonic journey that feels both monumental and visceral. The bass is thunderous yet nimble, locking perfectly with the pounding drums, creating a driving backbone that propels the track forward at a relentless pace. Each beat of the snare, each crashing cymbal, feels explosive, contributing to the sensation that the listener is in the middle of an electrified, adrenaline-fueled arena. Even in its opening moments, the song conveys a sense of defiance, power, and cathartic release, instantly immersing the audience in the raw energy of Skylarka’s hard rock vision.
As the song unfolds, Skylarka’s vocals cut through the instrumental intensity with commanding presence, conveying emotional grit and nuanced storytelling in every phrase. The lead vocal is powerful, textured, and layered with careful dynamic shifts that emphasize the peaks and valleys of the track’s narrative, while the background and backup vocals add depth and texture, creating harmonic resonance that elevates the choruses to anthemic heights. The interplay between the lead and supporting vocals is masterful, the backup lines echo, respond, and amplify the lead in a way that enhances the drama without detracting from the instrumentally charged energy. Midway through, the guitars weave intricate riffs and soaring melodic lines over the relentless rhythm section, adding urgency and momentum, while occasional subtle breaks and fills give the listener a moment to breathe before being thrust back into the full-throttle onslaught. The track thrives on contrast: heavy, distorted aggression balanced with melodic nuance, all amplified by the vocal layers that give it an almost cinematic scope.
By the climax, “Mo(u)rning Lazarus” achieves a thrilling peak of hard rock intensity, combining roaring guitar solos, pounding drums, and layered vocals into a cathartic explosion of energy and emotion. The guitars scream, the drums hammer relentlessly, and the lead vocals soar above the mix while backup and harmonized lines ripple through, creating a wall of sound that is both powerful and emotionally charged. The production allows each element to shine while maintaining cohesion, every riff, drum hit, and vocal harmony feels deliberate, contributing to the track’s unstoppable momentum. In the final moments, the song doesn’t merely end; it leaves a resonant aftershock of energy and emotion, as if the intensity itself lingers in the air. “Mo(u)rning Lazarus” is a masterclass in hard rock composition and performance, capturing both the raw, gritty power of live instrumentation and the soaring emotional resonance of layered vocals, leaving the listener exhilarated, breathless, and fully immersed in the sonic storm Skylarka has crafted.
Somnorine is a dream-forged journey through consciousness, emotion, and existential reflection, blending experimental sound, vulnerability, and immersive artistry.
“Somnorine” stands as a masterful and deeply personal work that showcases Skylarka at the height of her creative evolution, blending experimental sound design, dream-inspired narratives, and emotionally resonant storytelling into a cohesive and immersive album experience. From the delicate, introspective textures of “Half-Remembered” to the cosmic expansiveness of “Pallid Moonscape”, the wandering, spectral journey of “Unearthly Vagabond”, and the cathartic, hard-hitting energy of “Mo(u)rning Lazarus”, the record traverses an extraordinary range of moods and sonic landscapes, inviting listeners to inhabit both her subconscious and her existential reflections. Every track is meticulously crafted to evoke the feelings, anxieties, and ephemeral beauty of dreams, resulting in an album that is as intellectually stimulating as it is emotionally moving. Beyond its technical mastery, “Somnorine” is a testament to the power of collaboration, community, and resilience, having been shaped live on Twitch with the input of Skylarka’s audience, making the listening experience a shared journey rather than a solitary act. For fans of ambient exploration, dark synthwave, experimental electronic music, and emotionally honest artistry, this album is essential; it rewards patient listening, encourages introspection, and leaves a lasting impression that lingers long after the final note fades, offering both solace and stimulation while boldly challenging conventional boundaries in contemporary music.
For more information about Skylarka, click on the icons below.