How to Measure the Distance Between Lovers EP

Amber Giles has been a rising star in the EDM world since 2014, when a DJ set with Skrillex vaulted her from the Phoenix rave scene to the world stage. Giles, who records and performs as Mija, has gone on to play Coachella and experiment with styles ranging from tropical house to chiptune to drum ‘n’ bass. In 2016, she put her DIY promoter skills to the test, organizing a 12-city tour with support from dance and hip-hop acts like A-Trak, Nosaj Thing, and Joey Purp under the banner of “Fk A Genre,” her own name for her eclectic aesthetic. It’s been a swift, dazzling ascent, with plenty of next-big-thing buzz. There’s one question Mija hasn’t gotten around to answering yet, though: Can she follow through on her growing popularity with a cohesive full-length statement?

How to Measure the Distance Between Lovers, Mija’s new seven-track EP, sidesteps that debate. Where her past output has suggested a possible future in mainstream dance-pop or something wackier (she loves happy hardcore, for instance), these songs opt for another path entirely. It’s an insular, personal record about relationships, more suited for winding down than turning up.

Lovers uses negative space and hushed vocals to create intimate pop songs, many of which Mija—a former choir member and a classically trained vocalist—sings herself. Lead single “Bad for U,” featuring Portland singer Kelli Schaefer, echoes Purity Ring and the chilly futurism of UK label Night Slugs. Its most compelling moment comes after the drop, which slides the track from subdued synth-pop into experimental R&B territory, à la Kelela. Elsewhere, “Notice Me” is a subdued torch song that turns turbulent: “I want you so badly in this weather/If only we could be together,” Mija sings.

Even at this EP’s clubbiest, Mija’s palette stays dark and remote. “5AM in Paris” is a bit of icy trance that chops her vocal like the wind whipping through a just-barely-opened car window. On “Falling apART (again),” she paints a picture of a failed relationship, assuring an ex that he’ll come back to her eventually. “Speak to Me,” another love song, has self-aware but clunky lyrics (“Speak to me in philosophies/Then drown my heart in poetry”), and a somewhat overwrought backing of sitar, orchestral strings, and pan pipes. (Shout-out to Yanni.) Still, it’s a bold gamble and the only point on the EP where genres are truly and meaningfully fk’d.

Mija has already proved that she can draw crowds and hold her own alongside EDM’s biggest stars. With How to Measure the Distance Between Lovers, she shows that she is also an earnest, convincing songwriter. Whether she wants to combine those talents more directly is up to her. Earlier this week, days before the EP arrived, Mija released a remix of Justin Bieber, BloodPop, and Julia Michaels’ “Friends,” turning that 2017 hit into an off-kilter banger—stranger, catchier, and way more fun than the original. The pop star path is still open to her, if she wants it.