Aja Ireland is a UK artist who exists on the edge of experimentation, where raw emotion collides with boundary-pushing sound. On her new album “Cryptid”, due for release on January 31st, Aja crafts a visceral journey through themes of empowerment, resilience, and the mysticism of survival. Drawing from her own experiences – spanning personal struggles, grief, and the alienation of modern life – “Cryptid” is as much an exploration of self as it is a call to the collective. Blending noise, future trap, and experimental bass, Ireland pushes the boundaries of genre while embracing the flux of her emotions.
In this interview, we dive into the making of the album, the inspirations behind tracks like “Death Drop” and “Hundreds of Tiny Discomforts,” and her unique creative process, where AI and subconscious flow take center stage. For an artist who has already made waves with her bold work on “SLUG“, “Cryptid” sees Aja Ireland embracing vulnerability, creating music that is as confronting as it is empowering.
Your new album “Cryptid” is described as a visceral exploration of empowerment, resilience, and mysticism. What was the driving force behind this album, and how do these themes manifest in the soundscapes and lyrics?
The need for me to create music is constant, I am producing all the time so the driving force was the just natural expression. The trigger for this particular phase of production was an exhibition by artist Joey Holder called “Crytpid”. I created the sound design for this installation and filmed a music video in the space with a small but incredible team. Directed and edited by one of the writers and directors of Charity Shop Sue (and my bestie) – Timothy Chesney (Dead Sweet TV) with drone filmmakers Jake Day and Oliver Simpkin – the installation and themes around it were a huge source of inspiration and creating the video was the starting point to the album which I wrote throughout 2022/23.
The lyrics were created by taking lot’s of my favourite song titles such as “Dead Signal” by Manni Dee and Ivy Lab “Sacred” by LCY “Fat Purple Fig” by Randomer and “SHIFT” by Slikback. I collected these and pieced them together using free-writing and then used AI to help me understand my subconscious and why I’d chosen these particular words and how they related to the installation.
I wrote this album for myself, to myself and to my community or other neurodivergent or anyone who is struggling! Pearls Bleed Too takes inspiration from Ice Spice’s production and from current rap culture but gives a positive spin, bringing people together and trying to celebrate the creativity that can come from basically being broke! The music industry, especially in the experimental scene has taken a huge hit around the UK and Europe. So I needed to write a track to pick myself up and pick others up experiencing the same struggles.
“Death Drop” references the famous dance-move by drag and ballroom performers and is about being given life by queer club culture – but also about dealing with fatigue. The lyrics are “Club Thiq, I’m exhausted, body weighed down like it’s morbid, but the beat lit, we’re gunna break a neck, death dropping baby hold on to that wig’. The track is about club music and club culture being a constant source of energy even through extreme exhaustion that I’m sure a lot of people are experience right now.
“If You Don’t Exist” is a club track with an experimental middle section – another extension of encouragement through the rough times, offering my hand out to others who are drowning: “Holla if – you went down under the water, Come back up – you orta, Dip a toe and I warn ya, Holla if it has taught ya , Holla if the boat sink, the life coat open and it adore ya, Come back up – you orta, Lifes hard but just keep afloat don’t abort yet”.
“The Day I Fell Without My Wings” is pure light hearted fun, I made this inspired by A.G Cook’s production. I wrote the lyrics in collaboration with the amazing artist Leomi Sadler – it’s meant to be a chance to catch your breath in the album a little – like a pallet cleanser 😉
“Hundreds of Tiny Discomforts” is the most emotionally charged song about an abortion I had the year before. It’s a song to help me process and heal through the grieving process about the potential of not being a mother in my life. I was in two minds whether to put this out as it’s so transparent! I usually drench lyrics in thick metaphors so the true meaning isn’t so obvious but this one is like, guts open – here’s all my thoughts and feelings. I think hyper-pop inspired me to be this open lyrically.
The sound design in this feels like a very literal expression of the grief. The glitchy sound design in this relates to to little footsteps and broken decisions but there are moments of softer synths of hope for the future of becoming a mother. Mixed with wavy, disorientating layers representing the guilt of what I did, but underpinning the whole song is a pulsing sub bass which to me is that gut wrenching sinking feeling when I was actually going through it.
“5 of Cups” is inspired by the tarot card of the same name and reflects my ongoing journey through recovery from addiction. After eight years of sobriety, it’s become a way of life, but this track explores the quieter, more subtle aspects of healing that unfold over time. The lyrics touch on themes of self-acceptance and learning to love myself, a process that feels continuous and transformative. This song is a reflection of that delicate, ongoing work, embracing the deeper spiritual layers of recovery that go beyond the initial milestones.
You’ve drawn comparisons to boundary-pushing artists like SOPHIE and Arca, yet your sound is undeniably your own. How do you approach blending futuristic genres like noise, future trap, and experimental bass into your work?
I’ve grown up listening to noise and experimental music so I feel like the darker textured energy and distorted layers in my production is in my blood somehow. With this album, I started off making what I wanted to listen to without any intention of showing anyone.
I research and listen to people like Arca, Sophie and Ice Spice and use certain tracks as a “root” that I go back to as an anchor point but I think my work process is so intense and I really produce from a place in my subconscious. I go into a flow state where I forget to eat and don’t need much sleep and am almost living inside the tracks – but when I come out of this, I can’t really remember what I’ve done or how I’ve done it.
There are certain plug ins like the Amp plugin by Ableton that I love and always use which probably gives my songs a thread of understanding between each other. I really enjoyed researching different techniques for this one though and I think you can hear a cleaner production in some of the tracks. I always like wavy, textured synths and I used hints of Ice Spice particularly with Pearls Bleed Too – the gun clicks and whip sounds and the rhythm of the kick. I’m obsessed with these sounds in rap music at the moment and wanted to try and mix them with a darker noise aesthetic.
In “Death Drop” I took these same influences but I actually resampled some textured I’d made from an old track “The Thinning’ inspired by Empty Set. One funny thing is that I’ve always hated autotune and something about 2024 made me do a 180 – I’m late to the game but obsessed so I used it heavily in the production! It sound great live too with loads of distortion and feedback!
Check out Aja Ireland’s current Top 5 tracks:
With “Cryptid”, you’re tackling themes of alienation, emotional numbness, and survival. How much of the album reflects your own personal experiences, and how do you transform those feelings into these intense sonic narratives?
“Cryptid” reflects a lot of my own experiences, especially feelings of detachment and the struggle to find connection in a world that can feel alien. I’ve faced moments of intense emotional numbness, but creating music has always been a way to process and survive those feelings. The album channels those emotions into sonic textures to tell stories that feel raw and intense but also transformative.
By working with AI, I put lyrics in and ask it to interpret what they mean in relation to what I’m inspired by and it actually helps me learn more about myself and my processes. It really is like working from my subconscious. I was diagnosed with ADHD a few months ago and I think this explains a lot – I go into intense hyper focus when producing and so most of it comes from a subconscious part of myself.
The whole album is a reflection of personal narratives. One huge challenge for me recently is being a musician in 2023/4 and the amount of being ignored / rejected is difficult! From the abortion, to dealing with being in the industry and just surviving through a cost of living crisis to have amazing moment with my friends who inspire me so much and just expressing having fun and being silly. This is the album album that aligns the scope of what I listen to in my spare time vs who inspires my production and what I produce and DJ – I feel like if Ice Spice and Empty Set had a baby I would pop out 😀
Your previous album “SLUG” received critical acclaim for its daring and experimental approach. How has your sound evolved from that release to “Cryptid”, and what do you feel you’ve discovered about yourself in the process?
With “Cryptid,” I’ve pushed my sound even further, blending raw emotional intensity with more refined production techniques. Where “SLUG” was about bold experimentation and embracing chaos, this album feels more contained, transparent and cohesive, though it still has that edge. I’ve explored new tools with field recording manipulations using Ableton plugins, allowing me to merge organic and synthetic elements in ways that feel alive and unpredictable. Through this process, I’ve discovered a new confidence in expressing vulnerability—both through lyrics and sound—and learned that even the messiest emotions can create something powerful and transformative.
“Cryptid” is a collection of both defiance and despair. How do you balance these emotions within your music, and how do you want listeners to experience that tension when they engage with the album?
Balancing defiance and despair in “Cryptid” came naturally, as both emotions often coexist in my experiences. Despair can feel overwhelming, but defiance is what pushes back, what insists on survival and transformation. Musically, this tension comes through in contrasts—soft, haunting melodies against aggressive beats, or distorted vocals layered over moments of clarity. I want listeners to feel that push and pull, to sit with the discomfort but also find power in it. It’s about embracing the complexity of these emotions and, hopefully, emerging from the experience feeling understood or even emboldened. Ultimately though, people will have their own unique reaction to the album whether you love it or hate it, it’s just whether it resonates to the person listening it!
Our home city of Berlin is known for its unique underground club culture, which heavily influences electronic music. Do you draw any inspiration from the city’s scene, and is there a possibility we’ll see you bring “Cryptid” to Berlin in the near future?
YES! I grew up in Berlin until I was 5 and lived there for a year in my early 20’s so I feel incredibly connected with the city. My favourite gig in Berlin was closing Berghain at CTM festival and I really hope to play more shows there next year. Also, my bestie and costume designer LULALOOP and another huge inspiration and mentor DJ Rebekah both live there so I’m well overdue a visit! Creamcake, Berghain, Atonal and Gegen are on my 2025 wish list!
