Maria Teriaeva LP 03 by Maria Teriaeva Follow

Maria Teriaeva LP 03 review

"Sayan - Savoie" marks Maria Teriaeva's third solo album, self-produced and independently released. Spanning 2022-2024 and recorded between Annecy and Paris, the album captures her emotional journey in exile. Maria balances external chaos and inner peace through more structured compositions, using her Buchla synthesizer alongside guitar, electric organ, and vocoder. Parallels between the French Alps and her childhood in Siberia shape the album’s central theme and title.

"While working on this album, I found myself reflecting on what unites us, rather than divides us, especially now. In places that seem so different—Siberia's Sayan Mountains, where I grew up, and the French Alps in Savoie, where I ended up—I noticed common threads: snowy mountains, a closeness to nature and shared scents, a slower pace of life, and solitude. Most powerfully, I felt a deep sense of familiarity, with flashes of childhood, even in a foreign place."

The album reveals deeply personal shifts—embracing oneself, looking back and forward, and finding a sense of freedom in a new, more comforting home. “After years of restraint back home, I’m starting to be more open and true to myself, especially as a queer person.” The music, too, carries this newfound confidence, echoing her journey of self-acceptance and inviting listeners to feel a sense of connection—and perhaps even share a smile or two along the way.
crédits
paru le 7 février 2025

All music composed, produced, and recorded by Maria Teriaeva.
Instruments: modular synthesizers (Buchla 200e, Keen Association 200e), electric guitar, acoustic guitar, electronic organ.

Acoustic guitar by Artem Kritsin (Track 1)
Lyrics based on true events by Nadia Gritskevich (Track 3)
Mixed by Mila Miller, Maria Teriaeva (Track 8)
Mastered by Boris Istomin
Vinyl cutting by Marie Pieprzownik (Translab Studios, Paris).

Design and Album Cover: Roma Bantik
Metal Object: Cast by Roma Bantik, made from melted Renault engines.

Special Thanks: L'atelier des artistes en exil, the Pause Program at the Collège de France, the Institut Français, and the École Supérieure d'Art Annecy Alpes and my dear friend and musical partner, Julia Rodionova, for her collaboration and unwavering support on this sonic journey.