Formerly the vocalist for the Bay Area-based shoegaze band, Whirr, Kristina Esfandiari writes, records and performs under the moniker of Miserable – a band name that will likely have your search engine wheezing and struggling to find it online. Still, Esfandiari has a long held reputation for writing, recording and performing music that’s powerfully evocative and nuanced. Her forthcoming effort, Halloween Dream EP which the Native Sound will release on February 18th will continue to further cement that reputation, especially if you hear the EP’s first single “Bell Jar." 

The track starts off with an atmospheric sound that’s eerily haunting before slowly building into an muscular, aggressive conclusion – it manages to evoke a sense of unease and anxiousness just beneath an icy surface while leaving a lingering presence.