Counting sheep before bedtime and thoughts that wander through past and present relationships late at night. The album Sheepsong Unlimited by Slovak musician Daša Bulíková, aka Pebble Seven (formerly performing as DASA), ventures into the uneven terrain of interpersonal connections, whether romantic, friendly, familial, or professional, and examines both the closeness and the chasms that lie within. Pebble Seven sometimes paraphrases love songs, at other times uses music to explore her own Eastern European identity. Through layered and intuitive metaphors, she seeks to understand how we perceive each other (and ourselves). I’m not bothered by the time/their faces melt together I’m lost/I don’t wanna say goodbye to my cable dogs and carpet roads. Sonically, Sheepsong Unlimited moves between experimental pop, alternative R&B, and ambient electronica, emphasizing sophisticated textures and atmosphere rather than catchy choruses. It also takes inspiration from musicians such as Imogen Heap, Oklou, and Smerz, who step away from traditional pop conventions.
Daša Bulíková spent most of her life between Bratislava, Prague, and London, where she studied music at Goldsmiths University. She debuted in 2022 with the EP Come Through, followed by another one titled first blush. Her debut album Sheepsong Unlimited comes after several years of living back in Czechia, where she moved after her studies. She swapped playing in bands for solo performances and electronic music, with production influenced by the dancefloor and its sound aesthetics. This also significantly shaped her new alter ego Pebble Seven – distant echoes of club beats, dreamy electronics, and carefully crafted vocals expand the horizons of electronic production and the places they can inhabit. The classic structure of a pop track recedes into the background, leaving space for atmospheric instrumental passages and lyrics that are built according to their own rules.
Through intimate tracks, the Prague-based musician returns to close as well as casual encounters and, above all, the feelings she was left with."While making the album, I finally had the space to think about what it means for me to return from London," describes Bulíková the process of creating the new album and the themes she confronted herself with."I think that after returning to the Czech Republic, I didn't have much understanding for others, but I gradually realized how each of us is shaped by the environment in which we live and how it is reflected in our ideas and expectations. I stopped being so angry." Sheepsong Unlimited seeks a path to reconciliation and to admitting that perhaps none of us was right.
Sheepsong Unlimited is released by the new Bratislava label 42far. Athens-based musician Oliver Torr and British producer Joseph Futák also contributed to the production and creative aspects of the album.
