Linying Debuts Shimmering New Single “Porcupine”; New EP ‘House Mouse’ Out 11/17
November 3, 2023 BY Bailey Vigliaturo
LA-via-Singapore artist Linying today shared her new single “Porcupine,” off her forthcoming EP House Mouse, due out November 17th via Nettwerk. Premiering at Under the Radar, “Porcupine” is a driving and sweetly off-kilter track that comes to life with its sparkling, dynamic instrumentation. “This song is a gentle reminder that everything outside is a mirror, and it’s never going to give you what you really need,” Linying explains. “It’s a way of saying, ‘Get a hold of yourself. Don’t leave yourself behind.’” Stream “Porcupine” at all DSPs HERE; pre-save House Mouse HERE.
The EP’s lush, enchanting lead single “Take Me to Your House” was released last month to praise and support from Brooklyn Vegan, Ones to Watch (playlist), Northern Transmissions, Best Song Ever Podcast, and more. Linying’s debut album There Could Be Wreckage Here—a 2022 release made with musicians like former Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Chris Walla—earned fantastic press from NPR Music, NME, Bitch Media, and more.
On House Mouse, Linying follows her intuition toward a kaleidoscopic form of dream-pop that’s both effervescent and emotionally intimate, bursting with radiant imagination and heavenly melodies. It’s proof of the wild magic that comes from letting go and leaning into your most unfettered impulses.
Mainly co-produced with Jon Graber (an engineer known for his work with punk bands like NOFX and MxPx), the EP was recorded at a Los Angeles studio that Linying describes as “a haunted mansion full of every instrument you could ever imagine.” As they experimented with unusual instruments like the EBow and erhu and tack piano, the duo also worked with musicians like Jordan Blackmon (former live guitarist for Toro y Moi) and constructed an elaborate sonic world around Linying’s up-close examination of her inner life and all its complexity.
In looking back on the making of House Mouse, Linying notes that taking up surfing in recent months had a profound impact on her creative process. “With surfing you simply don’t have the bandwidth to exit the now, because you’re at the mercy of a force that is impossible to predict,” she says. “I think that act of physical surrender trains the same muscle philosophically. You move in tandem with what’s in front of you. And when you’re able to do that, resist the urge to impose and control, you truly reap the rewards: the sweetness and the rush of a smooth ride, and a happiness that feels effortless.
Music has become less of a vehicle for me to chase excellence—it’s been an enjoyable complement to my life lately, and a way for me to encapsulate what’s happening in the moment. That’s what we focused on with this project, and it’s why this collection of songs is so special to me.”