By Azzam Bilal 
HangupsMusic.com – Copenhagen, the Danish composer and multi-instrumentalist ML Buch, known for her intricate blending of organic instrumentation and digitized soundscapes, has surprised her audience with the release of an untitled new track. The release marks a significant moment of artistic reflection, as the song originated nearly eight years ago. By choosing to finalize and share a piece of music that began its life in 2016, Buch offers a rare glimpse into her creative evolution, bridging the gap between her early experimental roots and the polished, critically acclaimed "art-pop wilderness" she inhabits today. The release is accompanied by a lo-fi, heart-warming music video that captures a moment of pure, unadulterated joy, featuring a baby and a dog in a sun-drenched, outdoor setting.
The decision to release a "loosie"—a standalone track outside the traditional album cycle—speaks to the spontaneous nature of Marie Louise Buch’s current creative phase. After the monumental success of her 2023 album Suntub, which garnered widespread acclaim for its innovative use of guitar textures and ethereal vocal arrangements, Buch has remained a focal point for those interested in the cutting edge of contemporary indie music. The new untitled track serves as a bridge between the past and the present, proving that even the sketches of an artist’s earlier years can find a home in the contemporary landscape if the emotional core remains intact.
Musically, the track continues Buch’s fascination with the interplay between the physical and the digital. Since her debut, she has become synonymous with a specific brand of "digitized art-pop," characterized by the use of seven-string guitars, open tunings, and digital modeling processors that transform traditional rock instruments into something otherworldly. This new release, despite its 2016 origins, feels remarkably consistent with her recent output. It carries that signature sense of suspension, where the music feels as though it is floating through a digital ether, grounded only by the rhythmic pulse of her vocal delivery.
The accompanying music video is a departure from the high-concept, often abstract visuals that accompany many modern art-pop releases. Instead, it leans into a "serotonin-providing" aesthetic that is both intimate and disarming. The footage features a figure—widely assumed to be Buch herself—skipping down a quiet road while cradling a baby. The sense of movement and the rhythm of the skip mirror the undulating pulse of the music. A brief but memorable appearance by a cheerful dog adds to the domestic, pastoral charm of the scene. In an era where music videos are often polished to a mirror sheen, Buch’s choice to use what appears to be handheld, personal footage creates a sense of vulnerability and authenticity that resonates deeply with the song’s long-gestating history.
The journey of this song from 2016 to 2024 highlights the non-linear nature of the creative process. For many artists, songs are products of a specific moment, discarded if they aren’t finished within a certain timeframe. However, Buch’s decision to revisit this particular composition suggests that some ideas require a period of dormancy before they can be fully realized. The eight-year gap between the song’s inception and its completion allowed Buch to bring the technical prowess she developed during the recording of Suntub to a skeletal idea from her past. This synthesis of old inspiration and new technique results in a track that feels both nostalgic and forward-thinking.
To understand the significance of this release, one must look at the trajectory Buch has taken over the last few years. Her 2023 sophomore album, Suntub, was a transformative record for the Danish music scene. It expanded upon the ideas presented in her 2020 debut, Skinned, moving away from the more claustrophobic, electronic textures toward a sound that felt more expansive and air-filled. Suntub was praised for its "sun-drenched" quality—a feeling of being outside in the glare of the afternoon sun, where everything is slightly overexposed. This new untitled track feels like a continuation of that aesthetic, perhaps explaining why it was finally finished now rather than years ago.
The release also follows the arrival of Suntub Extras last year, a collection of tracks that further explored the sonic world of her second album. By clearing her archives and finishing these lingering projects, Buch seems to be in a period of transition. These releases act as a way of "cleaning the slate," allowing her to honor her past work while preparing for whatever direction her music takes next. The spontaneity of this latest upload suggests an artist who is comfortable with her process and no longer feels beholden to the rigid structures of the music industry’s promotional machine.
Technically, ML Buch remains one of the most interesting guitarists working today. Her approach to the instrument is academic yet deeply intuitive. By using digital modeling, she is able to achieve tones that sound like a guitar but behave like a synthesizer. This allows her to create "liquid" melodies that slide and bend in ways that traditional amplification wouldn’t permit. In the new untitled track, these textures are present, providing a shimmering backdrop for her vocals. Her voice, often layered and processed to create a choral effect, acts as another instrument in the mix, blurring the lines between the human and the machine.
The "art-pop wilderness" that critics often associate with Buch is a place of solitude and exploration. Her music often evokes the landscapes of Scandinavia—wide open spaces, cold light, and a sense of quietude. Yet, there is a warmth in her work that prevents it from feeling sterile. The new video, with its focus on family, pets, and the simple act of skipping, emphasizes this warmth. It reminds the listener that behind the sophisticated digital processing and the complex guitar tunings is a person finding joy in the everyday.
As the music industry continues to favor rapid-fire content delivery, ML Buch’s patient approach is a breath of fresh air. Taking eight years to finish a song is a testament to the idea that art cannot be rushed. It requires the right environment, the right mindset, and sometimes, the right life experiences to bring it to fruition. The untitled track is not just a "loosie" or a throwaway demo; it is a piece of a larger puzzle that Buch has been assembling for nearly a decade.
For fans who have followed her since Skinned or those who discovered her through the critical buzz surrounding Suntub, this new release is a gift. It serves as a reminder of why she is considered one of the most vital voices in experimental pop today. She manages to make the avant-garde feel accessible and the digital feel soulful. Whether she is performing in a high-concept gallery space or skipping down a road with a baby, Buch remains an artist who is entirely true to her vision.
Looking ahead, the release of this 2016-era track raises questions about what else might be hidden in Buch’s archives. If this song is any indication, her "unfinished" work holds as much weight as her primary studio albums. As she continues to navigate her digitized wilderness, her audience remains eager to follow, whether she is leading them through the complex architecture of a new album or the simple, serotonin-filled joy of a spontaneous video. For now, this untitled track stands as a beautiful anomaly—a bridge across time that celebrates the persistence of the creative spirit.