Neptunian Blue – Ahya Simone (2025) – Album Review

Album: Neptunian Blue

Artist: Ahya Simone

Release Date: January 8, 2025

We haven’t heard anything else by Ahya Simone, but judging by the album I’ve just heard, I know that she has a distinct vision and an ocean deep soul that is always on full display. This music isn’t tugging on heart strings as much as helping you arrive at a beautiful destination as you float aimlessly into this Neptunian place. Neptunian Blue feels less like a direct appeal and more like an invitation to inhabit a space where emotion unfolds gradually, without pressure or resolution. It’s a deep evocation of harp-driven intimacy reminiscent of Alice Coltrane mixed with the spaciousness of Maggie Thomas on Harold Budd’s “The Pavilion of Dreams.” 

This album truly is “Neptunian” and it feels more than symbolic. This wave of joy unfolds with a sense of weightlessness, but beneath that calm surface lies an oceanic depth, a subtle gravity that draws that you inward. Ahya’s vocal presence isn’t otherworldly, it’s more of a voice that has returned from other worlds bearing a unique resonance. There is a precision in her tonality that anchors the music and her voice gives the impression of sound shaped by an atmosphere not entirely of this world. Beyond that, her compositions resist easy categorization (which is something I love), representing ambient, R&B, and experimental practices, all without diluting anything. It’s a perfect balance.

Absolute hidden gem of an album.