ALBUM REVIEW: 3rd Ave - Cyberbully

3rd Ave's long-awaited debut LP, CYBERBULLY, is a testament to the collective's commitment to innovation, eclecticism, and fun.   

Reviewed by Alex "Ash" Han 

 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Before reading this review, please support 3rd Ave and stream CYBERBULLY on all platforms! You can find the streaming links to the project via 3rd Ave's Linktree.

 

Please also feel free to check out my previous reviews of nickwuh's us against the universe, TypeOh's Seeker, Jaden Tyler's Sadfish, and Thai Thai's TELEVISED SUICIDE! Also available are my reviews of 3rd Ave's previous singles, specifically "Gottem", "how u like", and "ackerman".

 

AUTHOR'S (OTHER) NOTE: An earlier version of this article misattributed Mathias's guitar solo on "LSD" to Jaden. This has now been corrected. 

 

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME since I made my first foray into Music Technology. I was a wide-eyed prospective transfer student coming from the anthropology department at CAS, coming off of an impromptu pandemic-induced gap semester during which I'd seriously considered dropping out of school altogether, emerging into a COVID-stricken eighth floor that was rarely anything other than desolate & deserted. Those initial months in MTech were difficult for me. Going from the massive, sprawling anthropology program to a much smaller community in which I knew no one was hard enough. Add to that the scattered nature of the MTech undergraduate student body during that late-pandemic era, and suddenly I found myself in a landscape in which it was prohibitively difficult to make friends and meet new people. Much of the students I met during those first few classes seemed to be operating on a solitary basis; things were insular and closed, and it seemed to me that most people preferred creating music alone to working collaboratively with those around them. Of course, it was a long time ago, in a social landscape that was vastly more cautious and restrictive than it is currently, but I remember worrying very much that I'd made a mistake transferring into MTech. It didn't seem as open or collaborative as I had hoped back then, and I remember wanting a greater sense of community than I was able to access at the time. I certainly wasn't about to spend $35,000 a year just to make music alone on my laptop. I wanted to meet more people and work with folks and create art I never would have created otherwise, and for a variety of reasons, I did precious little of any of those things for the first stretch of my journey.

I emerged from that first semester a little demoralized, and a little bruised & battered on account of the B– I'd gotten in Analog Electronics (I did blow up an op-amp, but in my defense, I had literally never done anything electronics-related before, so there). Things began to blossom a little more the following semester, when I started taking the first actually music-related courses in MTech. I took CMS with Adam Rokhsar, which was where I worked with Rain Edward for the first time, and where Mel Fisch inspired my initial exploration of hyperpop and drum & bass. I met Chris Sanders in Analog Recording Technology; the two of us would end up taking the stage at MTech Invasion 2.0 a year and a half later. Still, things felt quiet and somewhat isolating; nobody seemed to be really looking to work together, or perhaps I was just looking in the wrong places. Either way, there was a definite paucity of MTech bands and collectives that I wished would be filled. It seemed like an incredible waste of potential for all of the artistic skill on display in this program to go towards solo projects rather than working alongside others to create things one could never make by themselves.

That brings us to last fall, when I started this blog. I did so because I wanted to create a space for people to engage critically with each other's music, and I thought that anonymously offering my own opinions might be a good way to generate discussion. At the time, the blog was very small, so I was relatively desperate for content to review, and I wanted to stay away from reviewing the music of people whom I knew personally in order to avoid being affected by personal bias. Luckily for me, there were a bunch of then-freshmen who brought with them a prolific and sizeable catalog of solo work. This random dude from Chicago named nickwuh was the first to land on my radar; the article I wrote reviewing his hyperpop LP us against the universe was just the fifth album review I wrote on this blog. TypeOh's Seeker, Jaden Tyler's Sadfish, and Thai Thai's TELEVISED SUICIDE all made it into my queue over the subsequent couple of weeks. I found a great many things to enjoy about all four projects, and I spent much of the semester getting acquainted with the artists and their music from behind the comfort of my pseudonym-derived anonymity.*

 

*There's a couple of funny stories resulting from this. I remember meeting Mathias (Thai Thai) and Luke (TypeOh) for the first time on the eighth floor, and trying really hard to act natural given that I knew them already and was a huge fan of their work, but they had no idea who I was at all! About a week or so after that, I almost straight up blew my cover during a Collegium listening session; I was onstage presenting a draft version of "Pathological (Who I Am)", one of my own songs, and Jaden raised their hand to give feedback, and I called on them by name despite never having met them in person before. Oops. Definitely seemed a little sus after that.

 

 

Pictured above: The members of 3rd Ave, pictured here during the original MTech Invasion last spring. From left to right: Suzie Sanford, nickwuh, Jaden Tyler, Anshoo Saha, TypeOh, Thai Thai, Milk Duds.
 

When the announcement came that these four, along with Suzie Sanford and Anshoo Saha, had formed a band together, I was really excited. The new group was called 3rd Ave, and the release of their debut single, "Gottem", felt like a big event. People were hyped, myself included, and the consensus seemed to be that it was just really cool to see all of these artists come together and make new music. For me, 3rd Ave felt like the first post-pandemic breath of life into MTech. Watching them come together was like seeing the first green shoots sprouting after a forest fire. For the first time in a long, long time, people were putting their heads together and pushing each other to new heights. I've eagerly followed the group's trajectory all the way from "Gottem" at the beginning of this year to the subject of today's article: CYBERBULLY, their full-length debut album. It's been a long road getting to this point, and there's certainly been a lot of anticipation leading up to this release, especially considering 3rd Ave's prolific run of pre-album singles—"ackerman" broke 100,000 streams on Spotify not too long ago! Going into this album, I was anxious to see how 3rd Ave's existing strengths would carry through this new project, and whether or not they'd make any daring new decisions to push towards a new sound for the group.

 

Pictured above: 3rd Ave performing "CYBERBULLY", then titled "Woppy", at the original MTech Invasion on April 13th, 2023. From left to right: Jaden Tyler, TypeOh, Thai Thai, nickwuh, & Anshoo. Photography by Alex Ehasz.
 

The album opens with the title track, "CYBERBULLY", which begins with the swelling, cinematic synth intro 3rd Ave customarily uses to open their shows, beginning as a quiet drone before rising to a gale-force howl.* The epic swell concludes with a sudden drop into silence and a flip of a sample from the Bleach soundtrack, setting the stage with a dark industrial backdrop ornamented with slamming, distorted bass and dusty, digital crunk drums. Thai Thai kicks off the performances with a bang, spitting an agile hook with plenty of braggadocious spirit. His rapid sixteenth-note flows whiz by like a boxer's fists, highlighting his athletic rhythmic chops and raw, confident vocal delivery. He sounds hungry here, eager to prove 3rd Ave's tenacity & grit, which is a good note on which to open the album. His verse pulls back a little, dropping into a bellicose triplet flow that finds a really nice pocket. TypeOh's aggressive second verse follows shortly thereafter, his lean, taut delivery making for a nice contrast with Thai Thai's more textured vocals. The two trade lines back and forth near the end of the song, which I thought was a really cool moment that served as an effective introduction to the relationship between the two rappers. Opening the LP like this, with what amounts to a duo piece between TypeOh and Thai Thai, was certainly an interesting decision, but I actually really like it given that these two anchor much of the record. It's a compelling intro track that gives us a peek at two of our main characters, while also serving as a tantalizing preview that doesn't reveal too much.

*Listening to it for the first time, it felt weird to hear the intro to this track without Anshoo screaming "MAKE SOME FUCKING NOISE" over the top. I suppose I've seen it live one too many times lmao

The second track, "ALASKA", kicks off with a sparse synth line that almost sounds like it could have popped out of an early-2010s Pitbull track. The Europop influences that poke through the surface in the two-voice sawtooth harmony make for an interesting blend with the track's bouncy Southern trap instrumental. TypeOh's first verse is an excellent lead-in, as his flow begins as a relatively sparse staccato affair before gradually speeding up faster and faster until it reaches peak intensity right at its end. It's here that I hear the trademark "Luke's dorm" vocal sound for the first time, as the lead vocals bear some weird proximity effects and squelchy mouth noises that come through a little too much, but it's nothing too distracting. Anshoo makes a surprise appearance here, delivering a high sung chorus that sounds unexpectedly angelic. The melody is insanely catchy and gives him a chance to show off his excellent singing voice, augmented with some tasteful Autotune that elevates his already-great performance to the next level. Thai Thai takes the next verse, coming in with his trademark breezy triplet flow before we return back to the hook. Even with two choruses, it feels a little too short to me; on first listen, I remember being really annoyed that the track didn't keep going! Anshoo's work crafting a hook here was truly exquisite, as he successfully managed to put together a chorus I just want to keep replaying over and over. I love the track’s embrace of pop aesthetics in its presentation, especially its supremely hooky nature; this ranks as one of 3rd Ave’s best choruses ever, and its straightforward approach to pop rap cements it as one of my favorites on the album.

 

Pictured above: TypeOh (center) daps up Anshoo (right) from the crowd while nickwuh (left) delivers vocals at MTech Invasion 2.0 on November 17th, 2023. Photograph by Steven Pisano.
 

"FREAK" brings a guest verse from MACK, one of Jaden Tyler's old collaborators from high school. MACK’s opening verse flows over a drum pattern that reads like a modern spin on Miami bass, with flurries of rapid-fire hi-hats, distant siren-like synth leads, and smooth 808s evoking comparisons to Rico Nasty and 112; this is as quintessential Jaden Tyler production as you're going to find anywhere on the album. MACK's flow is nimble yet nonchalant, striking a nice balance somewhere in the middle that lends him a certain flippant, easygoing confidence. The back-and-forth interplay between Jaden’s stereoized backing vocals and MACK’s lead vocals coming down the center works really nicely. After a short drum ornamented by little conga runs and fun percussion loops, Jaden’s middle verse maximizes the comedic potential of their deadpan delivery. Thai Thai’s third verse is a bit more mixed for me—I'm not a huge fan of the more nasally delivery on this one. However, TypeOh’s closing verse flows really well over a loosely old-school beat like this, calling back to his "Gottem" flow for a second, name-dropping Andrew Luck in a verse that references his Bay Area roots. This track was a bit of a sleeper for me; I wasn't a huge fan of it on first listen, but MACK's verse has grown on me a lot in the time since, and the overall fun-loving vibe of the track is a nice break from the darker & smoother cuts on either side of it in the tracklist.

On "HIEROGLYPHS", rage drums and thick 808s provide a relentless driving pulse underneath a muted, chantlike synth lead. Thai Thai’s slightly distorted vocal processing and more low-down vocal delivery on this one works really well with the track’s edgier vibe. While not his most larger-than-life moment on the album, in retrospect, this might be one of my favorite verses from Mathias on the LP. Anshoo's smooth Autotuned hook channels Gunna in a big way, which is an interesting cross-section I really like. TypeOh's verse fits well, but I'm less of a fan of the distortion when it's on Luke's voice rather than Mathias's; it seems to give Luke some slightly weird frequency content in the upper mid frequency range. Like its predecessor, "ALASKA", this track definitely feels a little too short to me—which I suppose only means it's ripe for a future remix!

 

Pictured above: 3rd Ave performing "BOP IT" at Invasion 2.0. From left to right: nickwuh, Jaden Tyler, Anshoo, Jaden Tyler. Photograph by Steven Pisano.
 

"BOP IT" saw a release a few weeks ago as one of the lead singles from CYBERBULLY. Admittedly, I missed this one when it first came out, but in the context of the full album it's really grown on me. nickwuh’s kinda hilarious take on bouncy Jaden-like synth rap works really well, giving TypeOh a slinky foundation for him to flow over in a cross-section that again calls back to “Gottem”. Jaden’s appearance here is one of my favorite performances on the whole album, bringing a supremely catchy chorus with a super fun flow; their verse is also loaded a bunch of hilarious punchlines ("I'm doing laundry all the time 'cause I can't keep my sheets clean", "Donald Trump starting five, I'm on his basketball team/I'm shootin' bricks to build a wall, but still got racks in my jeans", and "Never catch a felony, I'm Mr. Misdemeanor" being some of my favorites) that cements them as an excellent wild-card addition. The pacing of this track is one of its strongest points, with Jaden’s wild card middle verse bookended by TypeOh and Thai Thai’s more straightforward approaches. Speaking of Thai Thai, he definitely has a good amount of fun with his verse, playing with his inflection and delivery to switch it up and give his performance a little more spicy variation. Jaden's hook returns one more time at the end, supported by some pitched-down doubles. This track is another one that was a big sleeper for me, and it's definitely unique amongst the other cuts on the album in its at-once retro and modern dance-rap vibe.

The second of two guest appearances on the album, "TAMAGOTCHI" features River Hooks, marking the album’s shift into a heavier hyperpop slant. The track opens with an agile hook, performed by River; her nimble flow switches and thick, luscious harmonies instantly set the vibe of the track as being both chilled out and frantically energetic simultaneously, which is an interesting blend that somehow works really well. The frenetic synth arpeggiators and flickering drums communicate a ton of astral, feverish energy that synergizes really well with TypeOh’s really nice melodic verse. TypeOh brings a bunch of great melodies throughout his verse, merging his lithe & quick-footed rap flow with his penchant for catchy sung alternative rock melodies, last visible on Seeker. Anshoo’s more lowkey approach during his own verse also works really well to steadily ramp up the energy as the flow picks up speed. Eventually, we drop into nickwuh’s verse section, which is amazing and is a huge high point for me. This verse marks the first time he takes the spotlight on the album; the wait was well worth it, as he brings some beautiful tenor passages that lend the song a really incredible emotional climax. His lyrics deal with regret and existentialism, as he sings about having to "…pretend I'm a grown-ass man when I don't know what the fuck I'm doing", and "using anxiety as an excuse" to "suffocate" a past love interest; the steadily-climbing melody and growing harmony texture do a lot to make this verse feel like a true soul-baring confessional. He also brings some stunning high notes in an impassioned lead vocal performance that helps cast him as 3rd Ave's emotional core, an unguarded heart that languishes hidden behind TypeOh's bluster and Thai Thai's swagger. "TAMAGOTCHI" is one of my favorite tracks on the album, and its cross-section between headbanger hyperpop and genuine vulnerability makes it one of my favorite things 3rd Ave has ever done.

 

Pictured above: Mathias Quilon (center), also known as Thai Thai, one of the centerpieces on "HOLD MY HAND // PIECES", pictured here at Invasion 2.0. From left to right: Jaden Tyler, Thai Thai, nickwuh, TypeOh. Photograph by Steven Pisano.
 

"HOLD MY HAND // PIECES" is a two-parter track that slows things down a little. Opening with a woozy, trem-heavy guitar line and tender vocals from Thai Thai, this piece calls back to Thai’s folk-inspired work on wait for me, stranger, and in many ways feels like his resident magnum opus on the album. He very much feels like the centerpiece of this track, delivering heartbroken couplets from behind a veil of airy pads and melancholic vinyl crackle. Following Thai's verse, there's a brief section where TypeOh and nickwuh trade lines back and forth—not a huge fan of the hard panning here, nor the slightly abrupt pop-ins on some of the lines, but the vocal performances are really strong and sell the emotional content really well. From there, the track hits a tempo speedup, bringing in a drum & bass breakbeat as TypeOh begins to spit, once again merging pop rock melody with his rapid-fire flow. Eventually, we hit a massive drop outlined by formant-shifted vocals and huge saw chords over a distorted trap beat in a moment that feels very much like classic nickwuh. I think the mix here suffers a little; the different elements feel like they crash together, and there's not a ton of space left for the listener to breathe here. Still, the sung melody here is catchy, and the formant shifting is really cool. The slowdown & reversal of the guitar parts, plus the switch into a new key that leads us into the "PIECES" half of the track, comes a bit out of left field, and felt a bit sudden to me. We're not left with a lot of time to absorb the new soundscape, as a downtempo moody trap beat comes crashing in as Thai Thai brings a Kid LAROI-esque half-screamed half-sung emo trap hook. I don’t love the aesthetic, but Thai’s vocal performance is really cool, and it’s nice to see him combine his tender singing voice with his screamed, raw delivery from some TELEVISED SUICIDE-era tracks. nickwuh and TypeOh both contribute sung verses, buoyed by distant harmonies and the occasional beat cut. The koto break at the end of the song is a really nice touch, with Thai’s subdued background vocals taking us out. I'm not the biggest fan of this track, but I do think that the artistic vision here was really ambitious, and I'd love for 3rd Ave to try more genre-bending long-form experimental tracks like this in the future!

"FACETIME", chronologically the first track the members of 3rd Ave worked on together, began as a TypeOh solo track before growing out into a 3rd Ave affair. A synth-heavy rage-rap banger that combines the poppy, hooky ethos of “ALASKA” with the rage aesthetic of Ken Carson and Trippie Redd, “FACETIME” ended the year in the number 5 spot on my Spotify Wrapped. TypeOh's hook is wickedly catchy, supported by lush, textured synth pads and economical trap drums. TypeOh and Thai Thai trade melodic verses that see both of them exploring new territory; both come up with some really catchy lines along the way and sound great overall. The track does feel a little short, and perhaps a bit less involved than many of the other tracks here, but I suppose that as the first 3rd Ave song ever, it's understandable for it to feel a bit less fleshed-out than some of the newer tracks. Still, the track is no less catchy for it, and nails the pop rap/rage crossover very well.

Atonal, outlined with various blips and beeps and mechanical sound effects, “???” is one of the most forceful tracks on the whole album. Distorted and angry, Thai Thai's first verse feels like "CUT UP" Part 2, as he brings an ultra-aggressive delivery. Thai’s lines are kinda hilarious (“I got an emo bitch, she like to kill herself” and "Walk in the room and the pussy get Gucci/I ain't bilingual, I only speak coochie" are the two that come to mind the most). TypeOh brings a similarly strong performance, though his voice seems to get swallowed by the bass on occasion. The mix on this track is another minor point of contention, as it feels to me like there's a lot of high mid stuff going on that can tend to take away space from the vocals. Either way, though, there's plenty here to focus on, and the track is a perfectly good bar track for its two minutes of runtime.

 

Pictured above: Jaden Tyler's chaotic-neutral energy, pictured here at the CYBERBULLY release party on December 1st, 2023, at Highside Workshop in Bushwick. Also visible is nickwuh staying hydrated in the back. Photograph by me.
 

"ECSTASY" feels like another experiment with rage, embracing a sound palette that reads like an ethereal crossover between the works of Playboi Carti and arkangel, with distant leads and airy synth pads creating a floaty, somewhat metallic vibe. The presentation of the chorus on this one is a little… weird, and I'm not sure I'm a big fan of the way the subject matter is depicted. nickwuh's second verse also feels like it takes away some momentum from the progression of the track to me. Still, the sound design on the track is really nice, and I really like the densely-packed, thickly-textured beat on this one. The moment when everything except the drums drops out to start off TypeOh's verse is really cool. The following chorus seems to lose a lot of the mix, as much of it disappears into these huge synth pads that enter around that point. The outro makes up for it, though, as Jaden Tyler busts out an absolutely sick synth/guitar solo that employs some really nice bends and ornaments. I'd wished for some time that Jaden would make more use of his guitar skills on 3rd Ave's songs, and I suppose this song delivered on that front at least! While I wasn't a huge fan of some of the decisions that were made on this track, the overall framework of "ECSTASY" is very strong, and I very much like the soundscape and texture the members of 3rd Ave were able to achieve here.

 

On "'05 ACCORD", a warped chordal sample takes us into a sparse drum pattern accompanied by occasional orchestral hits and reversed swells. TypeOh’s delivery is really nice on this one, while Jaden’s lackadaisical flow makes for an interesting transition that goes across rather well. “I get to the green like a motherfuckin’ Shrek/Money so big like an ogre” is hilarious and might be the funniest line on the album. I think Jaden's slower eighth note flow on this track might be part of the reason why the zingers hit so hard; the slower flow allows a lot of time for the listener to gravitate towards his lyrics and punchlines, which are both as good as ever this time around. Jaden's verse is super fun and transitions into Thai Thai's breakneck flow in a really nice way. The contrast between TypeOh, Jaden, and Thai Thai is managed particularly well on this track, and the pacing gives everyone just enough space to do what they do without ever wearing out their welcome or growing stale.

"LSD" is a 100 gecs/underscores-flavored pop punk/hyperpop crossover track buoyed by heavy guitars. TypeOh takes the first verse, and he sounds fucking great over this pop punk vibe. His vocal melodies are consistently excellent, and his performance makes for a surprisingly natural fit over the chugging power chords and cut time, uptempo drums. Thai Thai takes the hook, bringing a tender rendition of the singable chorus melody; his performance here is genuinely amazing and ranks as one of my favorite performances of his on the album. The backing vocals also do an excellent job translating Thai's performance to a larger-than-life scale; he sounds truly titanic, which works really well for this track. nickwuh’s verse feels very us against the universe to me, taking full advantage of his soaring tenor range. Thai's guitar solo in the middle section also absolutely rips (Dear Mathias: please play more guitar). I really admire the restraint exhibited by the group insofar as not giving the track's chorus to Nick, which seems like the obvious choice given his pop punk tenor voice. Instead, Thai takes the hook for much of the song. We get to hear Nick sing the hook eventually, but the group makes us wait until the very end, which I thought was a great choice. Finally hearing nickwuh and Thai Thai sing the chorus in harmony with each other was a great emotional climax on the back end of this record. I'm a huge fan of the production on this one, and I really enjoy 3rd Ave’s forays into pop rock. I can only hope that they decide to do more songs like this in the future!

 

Pictured above: "JAE CROWDER" goes crazy in a live setting, seen here at the CYBERBULLY release party. Photograph by me.
 

An ethereal, heavenly flute & piano sample opens "JAE CROWDER", before suddenly switching key and veering into a super dark, menacing trap instrumental. The intro switchup goes insanely hard and might be one of my favorite curveball moments on the album. TypeOh’s relentless hook goes crazy, with a driving staccato forcefulness that feels like he's pummeling a punching bag, and is a standout moment for him on the LP. Thai’s opening verse is a really nice change of pace for him, as he breaks into an Autotuned falsetto. He sounds smooth as hell, and makes a great vibe switch from his usual rapped delivery, as he channels Anshoo's characteristically slick, controlled style for a second. (I actually mistook this verse for being one of Anshoo's on first listen, which speaks to how well Mathias adopted this style!) Jaden’s verse is also amazing; the “red paint/blue paint” line is hilarious, and Jaden's deadpan manages to sound properly menacing on this track, which goes really well with Thai and TypeOh's vibe. I do think the mix isn't perfect—Thai and Jaden both sound ever so slightly canned, and there is a bit too much mouth noise, especially in Jaden's vocals. Still, "JAE CROWDER" is one of my favorite tracks on the album, and in my personal opinion, it's the hardest "bar track" on the album. Its strategic usage of Luke, Mathias, and Jaden makes it feel like a fully-realized version of the "ackerman" lineup, employed in a way that fits them together perfectly.

The album’s last track, "MAWILE", drops us straight into a tender nickwuh hook. With co-production from nickwuh and Charlie, the elusive seventh member of 3rd Ave, this track leans into a soft indie hyperpop/Midwest emo vibe that feels like a true embracing of everything that makes 3rd Ave great. The guitars do some really cool tapped open-tuning riffs articulating a very pretty chord progression that also uses one of my personal favorite music theory tricks (namely, the minor iv chord in a major key! Try it, it sounds fucking great). The entrance of a bass guitar and some additional harmonies on top solidify the sensation of building to a peak, as filtered drums ratchet up the energy. The chorus hits with a wall of guitars, huge acoustic drums, and formant-shifted vocals for the hook. The hook itself is insanely catchy, incorporating bits of the melody of "HOLD MY HAND", which I thought made for a nice callback. We drop down a little into a sonic landscape carried by organic acoustic guitars and some really beautiful sung vocals from TypeOh, who turns in an achingly heartfelt performance for this middle section that proves his prowess as a vocalist. A fakeout buildup sets up another chorus, but instead drops us into a richly-layered bridge sung by Thai Thai over a J-pop-esque piano part. The second drop, when it does hit, sounds absolutely massive, with guitars and bass and synth pads and arpeggiators coalescing into a gigantic wall. Thai also completely sells the emotion of this part of the track, singing some beautiful passages; I also love his lyric of "sticks and stones/Will build a home", which I thought was a touching way to end off the bridge. The last hook is absolutely titanic, with every single member of 3rd Ave (minus Jaden) contributing to a huge chorus of voices that all melt together into one colossal texture. Even Charlie makes a cameo appearance, as he sings the last few lines of the song before we drop down and out. Ending on this track was an interesting choice—it's probably the most pop 3rd Ave has ever gotten, but as an emotional vehicle, the song is unassailable, and works remarkably well as an earnest closing statement from the band's members. All of them turn in some of their best vocals on the whole album, and Charlie and Nick's production sounds beautiful. Part of me wishes it were easier to pick out the voices of the individual members in the ending harmonies, but even so, that's a relatively pedantic nitpick, and the overall result is still wonderfully heartfelt and captures something intangible about youth in a really beautiful way.

 

Pictured above: Jaden Tyler (left) and nickwuh (right) performing together at the CYBERBULLY release party.
 

CYBERBULLY, as a body of work, makes for a uniquely compelling showcase of what makes 3rd Ave great. The LP's production ranges from the simple, hard-hitting bounce of songs like "ALASKA" and "JAE CROWDER" to the heady, blippy maximalism of "LSD" and "HOLD MY HAND // PIECES". Each and every member of 3rd Ave turns in a string of inspired performances, culminating in a consistently strong body of verses and hooks rife with inspired flow switches and catchy melodic shapes. Everyone gets a chance to shine on this album, and the album is loaded with some all-time great performances—Anshoo’s buttery-smooth hook on “ALASKA”, Jaden’s tongue-in-cheek middle verse on “BOP IT”, nickwuh’s angelic bridge on “TAMAGOTCHI”, TypeOh’s forceful uppercut of a chorus on “JAE CROWDER”, Thai Thai’s surprisingly sweet hook on “LSD”… even Suzie’s backing vocals on “MAWILE” are a really nice touch. Most of the members have never sounded better than on this record, with all five main vocalists delivering confident raps and soft, tender singing in equal measure. Special shoutout goes to Luke here, whose singing performances were a consistent pleasant surprise. Anshoo also gets a nod from me, as he unveils his unexpectedly effortless singing voice to great effect on "ALASKA" and "HIEROGLYPHS". I really admire everyone's commitment to versatility in their vocal performances, and hope that they continue to push themselves and try and get new and interesting sounds out of their voices from here forward.

 

 

Pictured above: "DOWN, ONE… DOWN, TWO!" Photograph by Steven Pisano.
 

The album is also quite representative, showcasing stylistic bits & pieces from each of the individual members' solo discographies on the way—perhaps most notably the lean & mean, forceful, bounce-heavy, battle rap-flavored bluster of TypeOh's Seeker, sonic characteristics which appear in spades across CYBERBULLY's tracklist. The colorful, sweeping grandiosity of nickwuh's us against the universe also makes for a visible presence on this record, with Nick's trademark thickly-layered VST synth sounds, emotive melodic sensibilities, and texture-based mixing philosophy coming to prominence on tracks like "TAMAGOTCHI" and "MAWILE". While those two albums are probably the biggest contributors to the final sound of CYBERBULLY, the clever, tongue-in-cheek, wry humor & lighthearted spirit of Jaden Tyler's Sadfish is a key component of tracks such as "BOP IT" and "FREAK". "HOLD MY HAND // PIECES" and "LSD" call back to Thai Thai's acoustic folk-flavored wait for me, stranger EP from earlier this year, and even his TELEVISED SUICIDE-era screamed-raw vocal delivery makes a cameo appearance on the hook of "PIECES"! In this way, the album does manage to be something more than the sum of a bunch of solo projects; it manages to find the crossover points at which all of its members' styles intersect, and create art that lives within that space and pushes its members to new heights.

 

Pictured above: Jaden Tyler, 3rd Ave's resident comedian, performing at MTech Invasion 2.0. Photograph by Steven Pisano.
 

However, once I'd had a couple full listens through the album, I did start to realize that CYBERBULLY… has a bit of an identity crisis. There are points at which I felt like the album was unsure on how to present its mood, or realize the tone it was going for. I think part of this has to do with the album's sense of humor, or lack thereof; it seems to go back and forth as to how hard it wants to commit to being funny. Jaden's off-the-wall punchlines and deadpan delivery are probably the funniest aspect of this record, and I generally think their contributions are well-integrated and usually make for a nice, middle-verse vibe switch. This album is loaded with hilarious lines, some of which I've noted above, and the existence of those lines definitely positively factors into my overall enjoyment of the album. On the other hand, though, there are just as many lines that seem like they're supposed to be funny, but for whatever reason, aren't presented in a way that makes their humorous intent obvious. For example—"I got an emo bitch, she like to kill herself" is an outrageously funny line, but the aggressive vocal delivery and the dark instrumental of "???", the track on which it appears, completely siphons all of the humor out of it. A similar thing happens with the chorus on "ECSTASY", where the lyrics detail sex in a way that's so over-the-top and gratuitous that it could have been really funny if presented differently. Moments like these tend to get robbed of their humor and just sorta end up being head-scratchers, and I, as a listener, get pulled out of the experience while I wonder as to whether or not that line was supposed to be a joke or not. Luke's confident bravado, Anshoo's robotic panache, and Mathias's breezy nonchalance tend to come across in a way that belies Jaden's comical zaniness and Nick's earnest vulnerability, creating a certain narrative split between the different members. I sometimes feel as though I'm being pulled in a new emotional direction every time a new verse comes on! What I will say is that I've seen all of these songs performed live, and in a live setting, all the lyrics kinda just whiz by; in that space, the energy is what matters more than anything, and I never really picked up on these little idiosyncrasies. In fact, if I were judging this album strictly off of how well it works as a live performance, then it would be just about perfect (the album release show was lit as fuck). But listening to the songs on streaming, in a sit-down setting, wearing headphones, with a little more space to focus in on the lyrics, it starts to be evident that the album can sometimes struggle with how to present its subject matter. 

 

The aforementioned was just one facet of a few things that led me to feeling disappointed by this album, especially in the first couple days after its release. Part of me felt like the 3rd Ave formula I'd grown to know & love during the group's prolific string of pre-album singles had perhaps grown a little stale. Another part of me felt as though songs like "HIEROGLYPHS" and "FREAK" retreaded the groundwork of "ackerman" and "Gottem" a little too closely, while songs like "HOLD MY HAND // PIECES" and "???" strayed a little too far from 3rd Ave's established strengths. Yet another part of me wished we'd gotten more Anshoo, whose occasional killer verses and choruses dotted throughout the album really just made me want more. Still another part of me wanted to give this album a zero out of 10 on the sole basis of the fact that we never got the long-awaited Suzie verse I've been waiting a whole year for. In light of all of this, I had to reach the conclusion that perhaps I wasn't being entirely fair to this album. Coming off of the past year and a half, during which I've been a huge fan of not only 3rd Ave, but also all of its members, I've been itching to hear this debut, and my standards for it were definitely really high. It's tough to take a group with as many myriad strengths as 3rd Ave, and feature all of those diverse strengths in a single body of work. Especially in a collective as large as this one, any body of work is, by nature, a compromise. In this regard, the album is a largely successful one, even though at least a couple things out of the million things I wanted this album to do fell by the wayside in the process.

 

 

Pictured above: Thai Thai (left), Jaden Tyler (center), and TypeOh (right) performing at MTech Invasion 2.0. Photograph by Steven Pisano.
 

Perhaps CYBERBULLY is one of those situations where the answer is never quite as tantalizing as the question—in this case, the question being just what 3rd Ave were actually gonna sound like when their long-awaited debut finally arrived. Now, with the album finally firmly lodged in our brains, we can assess what the album does well. This album embodies fun as a concept better than almost anything else I can think of. Everything about it is wild and hedonistic, and its energy is genuinely infectious. When TypeOh is spitting, Anshoo is gliding over the beat, and nickwuh is singing his heart out, the emotional effect is truly something to behold, and the moments where this album works… simply work. The vibes are off the charts, the energy is immaculate, and the hip hop bangers on this album cement themselves as prime dancefloor rave material for a variety of social functions. Aside from those uptempo moments, the album boasts plenty of real emotional weight, and its moments of soul-searching and contemplation are honest and heartfelt. "MAWILE" is probably the clearest example of this, but "LSD" and "HOLD MY HAND // PIECES" also provide plenty of emotional insight into the members of 3rd Ave that listeners can latch onto and relate to. Managing that dichotomy between 1) being invincible, shit-talking battle rappers who are levels above normal people problems and 2) being real, vulnerable, relatable humans is a hard task for anyone, but CYBERBULLY manages that split very well, and that in itself is admirable.

 

That's not even scratching the surface of what 3rd Ave represents as a symbol, a clean summation of all of the things I've grown to love about our little community. As always, the group remains resolutely committed to the pursuit of good sounds, and aren't afraid to take a few risks to get there. Mathias's contributions stuck out to me especially here—his adoption of Anshoo's glassy Autotuned sound on "JAE CROWDER", his tender rendition of the pop punk chorus on "LSD", even his long-form through-composed songwriting on "HOLD MY HAND // PIECES" all stick out as being good little experiments where he pushes himself outside of his comfort zone, often to great effect. It's clear that the group isn't scared to experiment, to grow and evolve, to push the boundaries of people's expectations as to what music they're allowed to make, and to have fun while doing it. And on the eighth floor, and to me, they're a shining example of all that's possible in our program, and the great things we can achieve when we put our heads together. In that regard, CYBERBULLY is a smashing success, and is an album I'll likely be listening to for a long, long time. Wherever 3rd Ave goes next, I am certain they'll continue to push the boundaries and create art that inspires both myself and many others, just like they've always done.      

 

Personal enjoyment score: 8.5 out of 10

 

Standout tracks: "ALASKA", "HIEROGLYPHS", "BOP IT", "TAMAGOTCHI (feat. RIVER HOOKS)", "LSD", "JAE CROWDER", "MAWILE"

 

 

Pictured above: Mathias's Invasion 2.0-era replacement for his iconic Milk Duds. Photo by Kat Yeaton. If you scrolled this far, thank you!

EP REVIEW: Noraaa - Piece of Mind

 Noraaa's Piece of Mind is a well-rounded debut chock-full of soul, encapsulating a poignant brand of early-adulthood vulnerability.

Reviewed by Troy Embe, edited by Ash

 

Take a moment to listen to Piece of Mind through Noraaa's Distrokid Hyperfollow page, which contains the links to the project on Spotify, Apple Music, and iTunes!

 

FEW THINGS ARE AS UNIVERSAL as the experience of moving away from home for the first time—that first night spent sleeping in a bed that feels different from the one you grew up with, in a freshman dorm that is now your new home, across from some snoring stranger from Florida with whom you now share a living space. Those memories of freshman year are of the kind which I suspect will remain quite vivid for the rest of my life, as eighteen-year-old Troy (which is not my real name!) battled the disorientation of being plucked from a familiar place and dropped smack dab into the chaos of New York City. Evidently, as much as a formative experience as that first month away from home was for me personally, I am not the only one, as judging from her 2021 debut EP, Piece of Mind, I suspect that Noraaa, known to those of us in MTech as Nora Deely, went through a similar experience. Though this EP is just as much about love as it is about youth, Piece of Mind occupies a place in my mind that is uniquely associated with that experience of growing up and moving to a new city, and it conveys the awe and wonder of this experience through a hefty helping of warm, bedroom pop-flavored soul music imbued with a lot of musical skill. In short, Nora's first EP is an enjoyable collection of songs that serves as an effective introduction to Noraaa as an artist, showcasing her earnest songwriting, mesmerizing vocals, and nostalgic DIY production sensibilities in equal measure.

"I started writing the songs for Piece of Mind in August 2020 when I first moved to New York… It had always been a goal of mine to come out with an EP, but when I first started writing the songs I didn't think about if I would make an EP out of them, I just wanted to express my feelings." –Nora Deely a.k.a. Noraaa

 

"Infatuated" opens the story with watery guitar chords and reverb-soaked, intimate vocals. "Girl, where'd you come from?" Nora sings, her loose, flowing vibrato and plaintive delivery already solidifying her as a natural fit for this brand of old school R&B. The guitar plays warm, descending, chromatic seventh chords with a distinctly amateur-feeling vibe—by no means do I wish to say that the guitar here is badly performed, and on the contrary, I actually think it gives the music a very nice, bedroom pop feel. The chorus serves as a continuation of this aesthetic, as Nora's vocals soar into a wondrous falsetto and sparse drums and bass enter underneath. The soundscape is dripping with character, and thoroughly avoids feeling "sterile" in the way lots of studio pop songs do. The slight variations in timing between the guitar and the bass, the heavy reverb that fully saturates the listening space, Nora's expressive, tuneful, yet soft & restrained vocals—all of these things contribute to feeling like I'm sitting in Nora's freshman-year dorm room, watching her sit on the bed and work out the chords to this song on her guitar. It was here where it became evident to me that Piece of Mind was not meant to be digested as a piece of overpolished, Top 40 pop radio. It's meant to be consumed on its own terms, as a project that embraces its status as a debut, and all the imperfections implied by that status. It implies a sense of self-acceptance that I find very endearing, and shines through every facet of this project. The second chorus is followed by a key change, wherein Nora sings about coming to terms with the possibility that the person who is the object of the titular infatuation doesn't feel the same way. The mood of this key change is superb, and Nora's closing line of "And you probably don't feel the same way I do/And that's okay, that's just… fine" ends our opening track on a resolutely sad yet strangely hopeful & mature note, as the last chord fades out into the gentle electronic buzz of Nora's guitar.

The second track, "Let Go", introduces the first synthesizer appearance on the album, as a set of natural minor pad chords open this track. Nora delivers breathy mixed-voice passages as the backing track slowly builds and expands to include a bell-like synth countermelody and an analog synth bass. Nora seems to like giving her vocals a chance to sit front and center to start her songs, at least judging by the openings of both this track and the previous one, and that tendency of hers pays off here, as she performs some beautiful melismas with confident precision. A swelling riser takes us into the chorus; Nora sings "you make me wanna let go" as a chorus of backing vocals enters alongside trap hi-hats and a heavy kick that makes this feel like a Summer Walker or Usher track. I felt I was missing the snare here, as it's pushed back into the mix so far that the groove starts to get lost. I also could have done with a more well-defined bass that cut through the mix a little better, though the chorus is nonetheless extremely catchy, and the chorus of backing vocals give the hook a somewhat cloying, manic feeling that makes "Let Go" a little removed from simply being a run-of-the-mill love song. It feels almost like panic, in a way, where Nora grapples with the desire to "let go", to give in, racing against the fear of being overwhelmed in the way young love tends to do. In conclusion, although the mix could have been improved in my opinion, the vibe of this track is still something to behold, making Nora's brief venture into the aesthetics of modern trap a successful one.

"The first song I wrote [for Piece of Mind] is 'Here Now', which is a groovy song about the exciting feeling of coming to a new place, leaving the past behind, and my inner thoughts about it all. A mix of optimism and anxiety about starting to pursue my dreams of a career in music… it was a great start to this project because as I created the EP, I was doing what I was singing about in "Here Now"… taking my fresh start and working to create my own music/achieve my dreams." –Nora Deely a.k.a. Noraaa

Track three, "Here Now", is a significantly more disco-influenced track than either of the previous two, propelled by a syncopated bassline over straightforward drums. The drum sound selection here was rather interesting—having opted for a reverb-heavy clap sound instead of a typical dry disco snare alongside prominent cowbells and shakers, the rhythmic palette is diverse and channels the funky atmosphere well. The chorus brings an offbeat shaker and layers of backing vocals, which together create a sense of the track expanding outwards and becoming larger in scope. Something felt tonally off to me in the song, though, and I began to notice it particularly during this section. I think what's happening is that the leading tone in Nora's vocal melody keeps colliding with the minor seventh in the bass and chords; it was a little distracting, but nothing so disquieting that it kept me from enjoying the track. I think the mix could also be improved slightly. The backing vocals have a tendency to overtake and overwhelm the lead vocal at points, and the heavy reverb results in a loss of definition that muddies the groove a little, but the song underneath is still superb either way. This is probably the track that most heavily leans into the EP's loose narrative theme of arriving in a new place, and its presentation parallels that theme as well. Nora's vocals convey a sense of underlying anxiety as she sings about how she "came here in the summertime, music on my mind"—there's a certain degree of confidence to it, but also a slightly nervous edge that my younger self would have resonated with had I heard this song at that age. Being thrust into adulthood isn't an easy experience for anyone, and Nora's presentation of that theme feels like a consistent oscillation between anxiety and cautious self-confidence that works really well. The entrance of the horns halfway through the track is also a really nice touch. To me, this feels like the first time walking down Broadway without your parents in tow, taking in all the sights and sounds of a new city as an adult. Something weird to note about this track is that at least on Apple Music, where I'm listening, there's an extra minute or so of silence at the end of the track. I am unsure if that's a mastering error of some sort, but I thought I should mention it. Either way, "Here Now" is a nice conveyance of the experience of emerging into adulthood, and the nods to funk & disco merge with Nora's established sound quite well.

"These Days", the fourth and penultimate track on the EP, opens with Nora singing about loneliness over a sweet Rhodes electric piano as sparse drums outline a 6/8 groove. There are some really cool modal changes here, as Nora employs occasional non-diatonicisms in the chord progressions that keep things constantly shifting in a way that feels simultaneously unexpected but also wholly natural. The vulnerability of the soundscape here positions this track as being our deepest window into Nora's soul yet, as she discusses coming to terms with "having a harder time moving through life". Nora's expression of the feeling of trying to work through anxiety in order to make someone proud who has passed on comes across as thoroughly earnest & heartfelt, and cements this song as one of my favorites on the record. By the end of the song, it's clear that Nora's singing to someone specific, as the song becomes almost a letter of sorts to Gabe, who I can only assume is someone who meant very much to Nora at one point. The specifics don't even really matter all that much here; it's obvious that Nora's coming from a truly sincere and genuine place, and that passion and emotion fully comes through in what makes for perhaps the EP's most emotionally impactful moment, when Nora's vocals soar into some stunning higher passages and gently take us out of the track. It feels like Nora poured out everything she had into this song, and so "These Days" is thoroughly successful, not only as a song, but also as an expression of grief, a dedication to a loved one, a message to someone who may never hear it. In short, it's a hell of a thing, and it cuts deep in a way not many songs do for me.

"…I think I started each song a little differently. I don't like to restrict myself to specific rules when creating art, I prefer to just do whatever feels right in the moment and see where that takes me. I know for the songs 'Infatuated' and 'Lately' I started writing those songs when I was practicing for my jazz guitar lessons. I was just messing around on my guitar and suddenly I played a really nice chord progression… just like that I started writing those songs with those chords as the bass." –Nora Deely a.k.a. Noraaa

 

The EP reaches its concluding track with a song called "Lately", which begins on sweet minor guitar chords and Nora's opening line of "Lately, I've been going crazy". The song mostly leaves us in this sparse soundscape of solely vocals and guitar, but the chord changes and melodic sweeps do plenty to keep us entertained, as Nora hits some dramatic vocal lifts and falls that almost reminded me of Whitney Houston in a way. Halfway through, the track switches up slightly, as the guitar switches from strummed chords to arpeggiated passages and the song's sole backing vocal is introduced. The song embraces a certain defiance of conventional pop structure; there's no clear hook or chorus that I can detect, and it mostly reads like one long verse, but I think that's appropriate for the song's subject matter, which is mostly a dedication to a love interest, and a promise that "we'll figure it out" no matter how difficult things get. It's a simple but wonderfully romantic emotional premise that Nora once again manages to totally sell, so the song's existence as an amoebic, flowing, somewhat formless idea doesn't bother me. Nora's songwriting and vocal abilities convey the emotion of this track perfectly, and the song's themes of forging ahead and taking on challenges as they come is a strong one on which to end the EP.

 

 

"It is hard sometimes to be a musician (especially a woman in music) because it is so easy to feel like you aren't good enough or you don't know enough. But when the music just flows out of me so naturally like that, I feel like I'm on top of the world. It is that feeling that makes me want to pursue music as a career." –Nora Deely a.k.a. Noraaa

 

Debut projects have always been something I have found fascinating, to a degree. I feel like debut projects are like capturing the moment when the rose blossoms, or the butterfly emerges from the cocoon, and as such, they can tell us a great deal about an artist right from the outset as they take their proverbial first steps. In keeping with this, I felt I learned a lot about both Nora the person and Noraaa the artist through Piece of Mind. This short, five-song EP is a snapshot of what it's like to land in a new city and all of a sudden be tasked with finding yourself, and Nora conveys the inherent vulnerability, uncertainty, insecurity, and emotional circumstance of this moment with a songwriter's voice that feels both unique and universal. She wields an economical pen, crafting lyrics that always manage to use few words to say a lot. Her production and musicianship follow similar trends. Piece of Mind never risks becoming overencumbered with elements, and Nora's songs universally make only a few elements—light guitar, sparse drums, a backing vocal here and there—feel like something much larger in scope, which in my view is a far more impressive feat than making a track with 300 stems in it. Perhaps most obviously, Nora is a hell of a singer, and brings a down-to-earth and vulnerable yet unwaveringly strong voice that suits her musical pocket perfectly. This blend of traits together comprise the biggest strength of this debut, specifically in that I was able to go into this project knowing nothing about Noraaa as an artist and come out of it with a very clear sense of who she is and what she is here to do—which to me is the standard to which all debuts should aspire.

 

That said, this EP is still rough around the edges, in a way, and I think the argument could be made that that is indeed part of its appeal, but I did consistently have thoughts about the project's mixing work. This project is soaked in reverb to the point where it sometimes makes things feel smeared or blurry, which prevented me from enjoying all of the details present in Nora's production and vocals. That said, as an aesthetic choice, I think it suits Nora perfectly. To be clear, I'm not talking about the Nora Deely of the present day—I'm talking about freshman year Nora, brand new to the city, searching for love in new places, slowly piecing together these songs in her dorm room. The EP captures the experience of budding adulthood like nothing else I've heard, and all of its idiosyncrasies only add to that magical quality. At the end of it all, I believe my single biggest knock against this record is how long Nora is making us wait for more music. However, even in this regard, Nora's preempted me, and has gladly shared with us the news that she hopes to have more music out soon! So stay tuned for that—I'm sure that many of us here in New York, myself included, are eager to see what the Nora of the present day is up to, given that the Nora from semesters long since passed was able to capture our hearts so well.

Personal enjoyment score: 8.5 out of 10

Standout tracks: "Infatuated", "These Days"

EP REVIEW: Campbell Moon - Mercury

Campbell Moon's Mercury is a thoroughly eclectic project that showcases excellent songwriting and captivating vulnerability. 

Reviewed by Ash

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Before reading this review, please take 20 minutes to go stream the project! The links to Mercury on all platforms can be found via Campbell Moon's website, where you can also purchase merch and keep an eye out for his next gig!

I'M JUST GONNA come out and say it now: a debut project has absolutely no right to be this good. Mercury, a seven-track, 19-minute EP which dropped last December, marks the world's first introduction to Campbell Moon, a singer-songwriter and producer within the MTech program. Mercury feels very much like both an introduction to the musical universe of Campbell Moon as well as a prelude to bigger and larger-scale musical endeavors in the future. Campbell combines a vast array of influences that includes everything from alternative singer-songwriters like Lorde to indie pop acts like The Front Bottoms all the way to rap-adjacent R&B in the vein of Joji and James Blake, showcasing eclecticism through and through in his production, songwriting, and performances. The result is an innately entertaining experience that never gives you the same song twice, making for an impressive display of musicianship and songwriting to create one of my favorite projects I've reviewed on this blog.

The EP opens with "Poltergeist", an indie pop endeavor combining a thick synth bass and reverb-heavy finger snaps with a downtempo, subtly swung groove and distorted guitars pushed to the back of the mix, which makes the song feel like an interesting stylistic crossover between Billie Eilish and The Black Keys. Campbell's vocal performance starts out breathy & soft, boasting a timbre that falls somewhere between Sam Smith and Dan Reynolds; his voice is occasionally augmented by really tastefully-arranged background vocals that create some very nice layering. Near the midpoint of the track, we finally hit the song's title; Campbell declares "Certain feelings don't go away, they just multiply/They stay in your head and they scare you to death/Like a poltergeist" as the synth bass comes crashing in and utterly swallows his voice in a moment that I thought was really cool. We get a ripping guitar solo soaked in shoegaze distortion and filled with some really nice, economical melody choices. In the track's outro, Campbell stretches and manipulates his voice to create all sorts of interesting vocal inflections, repeating "I know what you want" in an increasingly unhinged and off-kilter manner as his vocals get progressively more and more distorted and mangled. "Poltergeist" certainly made for a really striking opening to the album that successfully solidifies the persona of Campbell Moon as an earnest, if slightly unhinged, lover with an introspective and brutally honest slant.

The following "thru the street", a collaboration with Brendan Shaw, is a significantly lighter and more uptempo endeavor, anchored in an indie disco drum pattern and watery, chorused guitar lines. I really love the bass tone on this track; it has just the right amount of grit to cut through everything without sacrificing the clean tone associated with this kind of funky brand of indie pop. The guitars also sound great here, and add just the right amount of funk without being overly showy or distracting. Campbell's vocals are played a little straighter here; he sounds more put-together and in control, which I thought worked well with this track's cleaner presentation. The chorus brings multiple layers of Campbell, some panned left and some right, with subtle melodic variations between them, which I thought was a really cool touch. The short guitar solo that breaks up the last two choruses was also really nice; Campbell has a real knack for crafting guitar solos that drive the song forward without upstaging the rest of the production. The track closes itself out with a section that starts to feel a bit like an in-studio instrumental jam, as Campbell scats melodies from earlier in the song as the various instrumental elements start to drop out around him; I really love the decision to end the track like this, since I feel like it worked perfectly with this track's loose feel and organic vibe. "thru the street" made for an excellent resident pop song on this EP, and I wouldn't be surprised to hear this on the radio one day.

"FAST" opens with woozy, Don Toliver-like synth passages and psychedelic, doubled R&B vocals. Soon, the track settles into a pseudo-trap groove anchored by flickering, polyrhythmic hi-hats and a hefty 808 bass. Campbell's vocals really remind me of Frank Ocean & Joji over this type of instrumental; he captures a similar type of inherent vulnerability in his subdued, low-key vocal performance. The flows and melody of the first verse are really nice, and the interplay between the lead and backing vocals is very nicely done. I'm not sure I love the chorus of this first half; I feel like it could have hit a little harder with some more melodic variation to give the melody some more movement and emotional pull, and I found myself really wishing for a soaring R&B chorus where Campbell really lets the vocals rip. Either way, the verse is still great. After the second chorus, we enter a total vibe switch, with rapid synth arpeggios anchoring a new instrumental that leans even further into the aesthetic of trap, with a bouncy 808 bass and psychedelic background ear candy to boot. Campbell brings a fiery last verse in which he discusses feeling trapped by his personality & mental state and being forced to become someone he hates; the heavyweight emotional topics on display here are paralleled really well by Campbell's increasingly tortured vocal performance. This is absolutely a standout track on the album for me and I'm very impressed by how well Campbell negotiates the different sounds he wants to explore, as he manages a seamless fit right into the aesthetic of trap and R&B in a way that feels wholly natural.

"Crush" marks a bit of a come-down from the previous track's burst of emotion, opening with a relaxed swung guitar line backed with subtle slide guitar that somewhat humorously reminds me of some of the songs on the Spongebob Squarepants soundtrack. Laid-back, loose acoustic drums imbue this track with a chill groove; the track feels like it's in no hurry to get anywhere. The beach-like, sunny aesthetic of this track is certainly very nice and makes for a welcome switch-up from the darker tracks that preceded it. Campbell's first verse once again brings tastefully doubled lead vocals, as feminine backing vocals occasionally soar in and out for some extra flavor. The acoustic guitar solo that hits after the chorus is also really nice, as the background guitars become enveloped in heavy reverb to let the lead guitar sit front and center; the guitar solo hits some excellent melodies and triplet passages that sound great together. The track's outro is kinda hilarious, as one of the guitar lines gets processed through increasingly heavy frequency modulation until it sounds excessively warbly and wobbly—a decision that I thought worked quite well with this track's more whimsical spirit and vibe.

"103 Degrees" is a short track, clocking in at just over a minute in length. That said, it wastes no time getting itself established, with jazzy electric piano chords finding a home over sparse drums and a funky bassline to once again return to R&B territory. Campbell sings striking lines ("Only thing between us is friction/Your body has a hold of me like an addiction") over layered, textured backing vocals that add excellent bits of substance to this otherwise very minimal instrumental. I respect this track as a short interlude, but damn it if I don't really wish it was longer! The foundation is so good and Campbell fits over this type of instrumental so well that I wished that we could have heard him keep going. Either way, I hope he explores this sound some more soon!

The following "Your Name" opens with an economical guitar line and loosely pop punk eighth-note power chords. Campbell sings about heartbreak as he asks a former lover to walk out of his life; his performance here is perhaps more unhinged than it's been anywhere else on the record, as he manipulates his voice to make it dip and soar and break in a highly effective display of emotion. The track remains fairly minimal and low-key until the first chorus comes crashing in with a display of pop punk at its finest; thick power chords and a simple, punchy drum groove underscore a crazed chorus melody that embraces indie punk spirit. The second verse marks a bit of a come-down, as we return to relatively minimalist territory. There's a really nice break before the second chorus that showcases some exquisite vocal harmony work from Campbell for one of my favorite moments on the record as a subtle solo string line enters in the background. We get one more pounding, headbanging chorus from here on, which itself eventually gives way to a short section in which a full string section merges with the power chords for a decidedly sweeping and cinematic outro. I love this track and I thought the emotional dichotomy between the minimalist and maximalist sections was managed really well, creating a track that feels like a journey from start to finish.

"Sometimes", the final track on the record, returns us to indie pop/indie folk territory; this instrumental is rather austere in its presentation, slowly introducing first strummed acoustic guitar, then bass, and then drums in a methodical, unhurried way. The buildup to the first chorus is excellent, as Campbell's harmony work once again steals the spotlight; the following guitar solo is also aces, as per usual. Unfortunately, this last chorus is all we get, as we're gifted a short outro verse and a spoken word outro to close out the album. This track could have been longer, but nonetheless, I feel like it worked really well as a closer to the album. It doesn't linger, but it does offer a nice closing to the EP's narrative themes of heartbreak and the effects it can have on one's self-esteem and self-confidence. Through his exploration of his own stagnating mental state, Campbell leaves us with a solidly meditative closing message to ruminate over as we exit the universe of Mercury.

Pictured above: A snapshot from the release party for Mercury last December.

In my time reviewing music for this blog, it's a rare thing for me to encounter an EP that manages to explore so much musical territory. Campbell Moon navigated his way through a wide variety of sounds on this track, ranging from pop punk to indie rock to trap-adjacent R&B; his journey on this record feels totally natural where other attempts at doing this kind of stylistic mismatch might have felt significantly more disjointed. The narrative & themes of this record also come through really strongly, as Campbell's earnest exploration of heartbreak and his sense of self go over really well. I feel like many artists would have needed the runtime of a full studio album to explore these themes in-depth, but Campbell manages it in just nineteen minutes.

Campbell's technical prowess is also on display here; his guitar work, vocal harmonies, and songwriting are all consistently great on this record, paralleled by excellent mixing and mastering work to boot. As a producer, Campbell manages the introduction of new elements really well; his songs never feel overproduced, and often manage to be strikingly sparse without ever feeling empty. When Campbell does go big, it always feels like a climactic moment, which I think speaks to his skill as a songwriter and arranger. The emotional throughline of this record feels remarkably cohesive and natural. Anytime my only complaint with a project is that I wish it was longer, you know it's a good one! Mercury was a really strong project that feels like a prelude for a full studio album that will do everything that this project did, but with more tracks and even more freedom to explore every corner of Campbell's eclectic musicianship. I'll wait eagerly for that next project, and I'll be sure to give it a listen when it does drop!

Personal enjoyment score: 9 out of 10

Standout tracks: "Poltergeist", "thru the street", "FAST", "Your Name"