Hailing from Portland, Maine, electronic pop duo Port Of Est are doing things their own way. Comprised of vocalist Hannah Tarkinson and multi-instrumental producer Todd Kitchens the twosome came together in 2013. The rest is history.

After a year of working together Tarkinson and Kitchens discovered a way to combine their dissonant musical inspirations to create their own individual sound. Combining elements of electro-pop, folk, hip hop, IBM, shoe gaze, and drum and bass, Port Of Est has created quite the innovative soundscape. 

Now they are showcasing that soundscape with the release of their debut single “Valentine in my Headphones.”

The track (perfectly timed around a Valentine’s Day release) allows listeners to lose themselves in a musical romance. Drums provide a powerful beat to the production, and they gallantly soldier on behind Tarkinson’s ethereal vocals. “Soldier don’t you fall down we’ve got plans for you silver, gold, the moon” she sweetly croons across the instrumental, welcoming others to follow her into the music. Kitchens’ production is heavily layered, providing plenty of interest and unexpected moments of pure peace.

Port Of Est teamed up with Nancy Andrews and animation students of the College of the Atlantic to create a colorful and atmospheric video to accompany their musical debut. The visual takes on a psychedelic feeling, as silhouettes appear in front of a celestial rainbow of color. The colorful light show eventually dominates the screen and organically undulates in time with the frenzied beat. The resulting visual teeters on a fine line between being invigorating and overwhelming; however, it effectively compliments the track’s frenzied sense of peace.

Take a listen to the track and peep the visual below!

“Valentine In My Headphones” is truly an innovative release from the twosome, and it shows quite a bit of promise for things to come. The track balances the dreaminess of Hannah Tarkinson’s vocals with Todd Kitchens’ electrifying production to create an enveloping sense of release. It’s almost like you have fallen into the frenzy of the music, but you’ve never felt more lovingly embraced.

What do you think of Port Of Est’s debut? Personally, we’ve heard enough that we are intrigued to see how things develop for the forward thinking duo!

Keep up to date with future releases from Port Of Est by following them at their website as well as on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.