Dutch electro-pop artist STÄSJ,, nom-de-plume of multi-instrumentalist and singer Stefanie Janssen, mixes avant-garde, post-rock, synth-driven New Wave, and vocal pyrotechnics on Building A Cathedral, an album about human condition. That is big subject to cover, but she pulled it off by going all out within self-proclaimed boundaries: being adventurous like Kate Bush and catchy a la Depeche Mode.
The cathedral is not an actual building, but a metaphor for the human body and mind. She tries to make sense of her surroundings and thoughts by going in at the deep end to find out what is all about and how to connect or get away from the hustle and bustle, when it all becomes a bit too much. Grief and joy are equal partners. Janssen pull it foff with poetic lyrical imagery, draped as an extra layer upon the meandering soundscapes and crunchy beats.