126. EP Review of Love Muse (Part One) by Her Motives are Silent
Originally Published on May 8th, 2025
About the Artist
If you ever need a reference to how to stay motivated as an independent artist, look no further than the gifted duo of Midnite Gossip. In addition to staying busy with writing, recording, touring, and promoting, Nicky Markin is actively working to collaborate with artists and to educate independent artists like Midnite Gossip through her work as the Indie MBA, where she coaches music business best practices.
The same can be said for Mickey Valenz, as he shares time as the other half of Midnite Gossip, collaborating in other music ventures, and doing solo work as a DJ, where he has remixed Midnite Gossip songs like Streetlights - Mickey Valenz Remix, which was accompanied by an Award Winning Music Video.
Valenz is also the creator of the alt/electronic project, Her Motives Are Silent. Founded in 2011, Her Motives Are Silent have drawn comparisons to artists like Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead, and Copeland.
Their debut EP, Such Sweet Sorrow debuted in November of 2011. In their debut, they experiment with organic components like natural sounds, footsteps in snow, as well as organic string compositions entangled with electronic and digital arrangements. They also experiment with styles of music ranging from techno, electronic, and alternative to even experimenting with a Capella vocals composed in the fashion of chain gang soul music.
Her Motives Are Silent followed this debut with a single release for February 14th, an experimental sounds project that accompanies a spoken narrative vocal part, but also features an instrumental mix.
It would be 8 years before Her Motives Are Silent would release new music. In 2020, they released a Suite of instrumentals entitled Movements featuring 4 tracks. This project experimented with programmed percussions, synth strings, and other digital elements.
It was followed by the EP 22022022 which is a two-song project that released in 2022. This is an instrumental EP that features two songs: the interesting thing about these two songs is the concept that they are the same song, just one is played in reverse of the other.
The following month, they release the single Pieces. Releasing in March of 2022, this would mark the first project in just over a decade to incorporate vocal work. Later in the month, they released A Message which features a sample of Charlie Chaplin's famous monologue from 1940’s, The Great Dictator, a film which he wrote, directed, and starred in.
Most recently, Her Motives Are Silent have released multiple variations of two singles; These Words and My Love.
About the EP
Love Muse (Part One) is a 4-song EP that serves as a precursor to a (debut) full length LP by Her Motives Are Silent. It released on May 9th, 2025 to streaming services everywhere, but was released early exclusively on Bandcamp on Friday, May 2nd. It has a run time just over 16 minutes.
About the Music
Love Muse opens with previously discussed single, My Love. Creeping in with a padded bass synth, then slowly incorporating a spoken word sample, programmed percussion, and ambient synths. This song is very hypnotic,is down-tempo, and atmospheric.
My Love is followed by the other previously mentioned single, These Words. These Words opens with the same atmospheric, wide open sound space as my love, but shortly after the intro, incorporates a more complex uptempo beat to dynamically change the song. These Words experiment with different instrumentals over the layered synths, in this case a Spanish guitar. Valenz also mingles instrumental effect with some of the lyrical content of this song. After the line “I feel like I’m falling in reverse,” a sample rewind is incorporated into the mix in a very sweet-sounding way.
The third song, Down/Love Pick Me Up, is only available on Spotify until May 9th, is driven by an organ synth and pulsating bass drum that sequences into additional percussive elements in the chorus. Though there isn’t use of traditional rock instruments, there is a lot of influence of progressive rock infused with this song. One highlighted moment is the “Love Pick Me Up” bridge sequence that has a gospel choir influence and continuously raises in pitch chromatically until the conclusion of the song.
Running is the closing track of the EP. This song has slightly darker atmosphere, more aligned to the reference/influence of Nine Inch Nails. It’s mid-tempo but features a beat that holds priority to the music. It directs the song in a pulsating, driving way.
Love Muse builds off of its own anticipations, and swells in its different blends of musical style, dynamics, and technique. It experiments with organic sounds, generational genres dating back to 19th century soul music, and doing this all, relevantly and poignantly, in a way that has a place in 2025.
Final Thoughts
Her Motives Are Silent are a particularly special artist as they bring new meaning to the overused description of being “experimental.” In fact, they are more worthy of the name than most artists I’ve listened to in years. Every project incorporates something different. From the use of samples, to the use of instruments and programming. The use of vocal melody, spoken word, or instrumental pieces without the incorporation of a human voice. They experiment with international music, multi-generational genres, and they infuse it within the universe of their own creativity.
Her Motives Are Silent are what most artists want to be in that regard.
It takes a special kind of love, a special kind of devotion to one’s art to go to these lengths; to be able to experiment with so many different sounds in a manner that can be brought back into one piece/style of music. This can’t be achieved through love and passion alone. This takes commitment.
From there, all it takes is to know Mickey Valenz and the work he puts into his music. Through Her Motives Are Silent, through Midnite Gossip, and through is other musical ventures. He is as committed as he is passionate, it almost seems as if it is without condition. He is poised to take his music and his audience to new places with every release, as he continues to draw an existential map of his musical universe.
Additional media can be found on their YouTube Channel.
Be sure to check out their website for additional and exclusive band news.
Love Muse (Part One) can be currently heard on Bandcamp and will be available on all major streaming platforms on March 9th, 2025.
Don’t wait. Go press play!
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