Establishing the mood with an astral guitar melody, ida opens Asta with situational prose with reference to her muse as she sings, “She was a dark girl with hair the colour of the night sky far out to sea, but you could always hear the sound of her soft, sweet voice…”
The opus expands with poetic prowess and a timeless folk-pop adjacency as ida recounts the history, and ups and downs, of her friendship with Asta. There is a cinematic allure to the track, in part to ida‘s unique brand of storytelling, which feels authentic and tangible – perfect for a synch deal with a Netflix coming of age TV show!
Speaking on the message of the release, ida confesses, “Girlfriends are super important to girls but girls can be ruthless if you don’t fit in. I didn’t fit in anywhere. I had a pretty miserable childhood, my mother died when i was three and I was shunted around a few different countries. Asta is the bright side of my childhood, its melodic and light acoustic stuff, but I hope it will ring bells for a lot of girls.”
We learn that Asta marks the debut from the Danish-Scottish singer, and it was created in collaboration with Celtic guitarist Vid Weeks. The two met by chance in a café on Tottenham Court Road in London, and within minutes, were writing together. That spontaneity breathes through the track – it feels unforced, lived-in, and deeply personal.
The production is sublime – we appreciate the arrangement which manifests a high emotional quotient for the tale. Fans of Gabrielle Aplin, Ellie Gowers, and Olivia Rodrigo might be able to connect with what ida is creating, but there is no doubt that she is creating and documenting a universe of her own.
Asta was recorded in a scruffy little space, with duvets hung up to soften the sound and guitars used as makeshift drums. That DIY charm adds warmth – it’s imperfect in all the right ways. Naturally, we have added Asta to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we anticipate future releases from ida!
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