MEERNAA - “Another Dimension"

SXSW 2023 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 2

Pairs Well With…Nilufer Yanya, Margaret Glaspy, Cat Power

Following up her debut 2019 full-length Heart Hunger, MEERNAA has shared a few singles that continue to stretch the cinematic R&B artist in fresh ways. Haunting but still with a sense of movement, the latest is “Another Dimension”, an exploration of psych-pop destinations that matches MEERNAA’s generally dreamy songcraft. It’s a perfect place for the Cali artist’s low and rich vocal tone, matching understated expressions instead of overpowering instrumentally. The symphonic moments on “Another Dimension” and other 2022 single “On My Line” highlight MEERNAA as an ambitious artist that can do layer sound without falling off the smooth ground within, expert craftsmanship that speaks well for whatever is next as MEERNAA swings through SXSW in 2023.

2019 Review: Overtly delicate like the pop echoes of a jazz quartet, Meernaa’s music covers soft and detailed indie R&B from a unique, bedroom pop perspective. Meernaa’s early singles and 2018 EP Strange Life often rely on one or two melodies to carry a song’s theme, accompanying with jazz/soul chording and percussion for a subtle sense of groove. In this spacious setting, Meernaa weaves effective pop tracks, but whittled down to their simplest forms and reconstructed with technical precision and psychedelic creativity.