In an era where it seems that attention spans have diminished to fifteen second social media feeds, there are artists like Lindsey Stirling who provide hope for artistic integrity.
An inspirational story about a positive use of modern technology, Stirling launched her YouTube channel all the way back in 2007 and quickly began to earn attention for all the right reasons. No, she was not showing off her abs or partaking in some attention-grabbing stunt, but instead she was actually aiming to create engaging art. Sticking with a vision, Stirling harnessed her passion for dance and music together, soon turning more than a few heads. A trained violinist with an interest in incorporating the art of dance into each performance, all while utilizing Classic elements amidst more modern musical styles, Stirling’s approach was outside the norm, so there were many obstacles that lay ahead.
In an empty calorie, candy coated world where vacuous personalities take the cake, Lindsey Stirling was not very marketable… or so she was told. Facing naysayers, she was led to believe many times over that what she was doing would not be successful and it was time to change her course of direction. Something that can deflate anyone who believes wholly in what they are trying to do, fortunately she did not sell her soul, because fast-forward almost two decades and Lindsey Stirling has defied the odds.
Proving there is still a place for something with more substance in the mainstream world, Stirling has built a following of over 14 million subscribers on her channel. Unprecedented, she has also amassed nearly 4 billion total views, performed in front of massive audiences, and each of her studio albums has not only hit number 1 on US Classical charts, but broke into the Billboard 200. Doing all of this on her own creative terms, now in 2024 Lindsey Stirling looks at a chance to seize another moment in time with her new album Duality.
Set for release on June 14th through Concord Records, Duality is Stirling’s seventh overall studio record, and first without a Christmas theme since 2019’s Artemis. Once more taking a concept and building upon it, Duality is about the tug-of-war within all of us. Honest about the internal battles we all face – pondering who we are, what we may have been in the past, and an idea of who we want to be – the album as a whole offers an array of emotion. Consisting of twelve songs in total, what transpires is a richly textured mix of heart-felt original violin melodies with a backing drop of modern electronic beats, but also some Rock-n-Roll drums and guitars.
Not entirely different from what Stirling has done with her past recordings, what ebbs and flows here is the mood. As stated, Duality follows a theme, and while it is largely all instrumental, you can feel each movement as the compositions themselves speak loudly. Captivating, it feels like Stirling bears her heart more than ever across this collection of songs. That is why it would be a disservice to not give the album a listen in its entirety; because it is cinematically a tale that plays out with the imagery of the plot internalized within yourself.
Laying this out, if you are looking to feel reinvigorated, Duality has the spirit-lifting quality needed. In-depth, impassioned, and consistently interesting, standouts are plentiful, but some big moments include “Eye of the Untold Her,” “Serenity Found,” as well as the absolutely astounding “Purpose.” However, the impact is not limited here, because there is still so much more; including more Pop hybrids like “Inner Gold,” featuring Royal & the Serpent, and “Survive” with Walk off the Earth. Overall, Duality is a very focused, healing musical journey, and that is why Cryptic Rock gives it 5 out of 5 stars.
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