Nº 13 Stranger to my room – sonicbrat

“Temporary signatures of time sweep across the house. They shift and morph across the day, creeping slowly, almost still.”

Stranger to My Room is sonicbrat (Darren Ng)’s debut release on KITCHEN. LABEL, featuring 11 instrumental tracks masterfully composed with solo piano and pure acoustic recordings. Recorded entirely in Darren’s home, where he has lived alone for the past 8 years, Stranger to My Room delves into the personal relationship between time, space, and existence, reflecting on a loneliness that is both familiar and alienating. The album exudes an intimate and warmly affecting atmosphere — its track titles capture fleeting, everyday moments observed in the home, each one serving as the basis for compositions that evoke profound emotions through the simplest metaphors.

Darren’s classical training as a composer shapes the album’s approach, making Stranger to My Room feel like a composition with 11 movements. It opens with a sparse, nocturnal piano improvisation that draws listeners into a meditative reverie, setting the tone for the entire album.

As the record unfolds, arrangements gradually become richer, with the addition of cellos, violins, acoustic guitar, and various other instruments. The album’s intimacy and textural depth are achieved through Darren’s unique recording techniques — using closely mic’d upright piano to capture the subtle impact of each key, and placing microphones throughout his house to bring even the tiniest sounds to the forefront.

The result is a rich, natural soundscape recorded with meticulous attention to detail. Stranger to My Room is a deeply personal work that invites listeners to rediscover the familiar in the spaces we often take for granted.

Presented in a 16-page art book format, the album features a collaboration with Helsinki-based artist Aiwei Foo. In her artwork, Aiwei mirrors the themes of alienation and familiarity by exploring the shifting nature of time and the personal backdrop against which we experience change.

CREDITS

All compositions by sonicbrat
Mastered by Ricks Ang at KITCHEN. LABEL

Photography by Aiwei Foo
Design by Ricks Ang, April Lee