Riverie makes a mesmerising entrance with ‘The Ugly and The Beautiful’, the first glimpse of Canadian artist Caroline Fernandez’s forthcoming debut EP Faded Empire.
Created between Goa and the UAE, Riverie marks a striking departure from Fernandez’s previous work with Rivers Below Rivers and Paper Kid. This time, she dives headfirst into trip-hop, surrounding intimate songwriting with the shadowy electronic atmosphere of Portishead, LAMB and FKA Twigs.
‘The Ugly and The Beautiful’ immediately makes that world feel tangible. Delicate vocals drift across glowing keys and understated drum machines, creating an almost serene opening before the chorus pulls everything towards darker, more unsettling territory.
She developed the track with Andy Barlow of LAMB at his studio in Goa, where its contrasting beauty and unease became inseparable from its themes. The song captures the unnerving experience of looking at yourself from the outside and barely recognising what’s staring back.
Beautifully eerie and deeply immersive, Riverie’s first step feels like the beginning of a fascinating new world.