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!

ALBUM REVIEW: kajj - SELF

kajj makes a splash with his debut project, blending the aesthetics of electronica and trap into an astral, swirling, sci-fi experience.

Written by Ash

 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: As always, before reading this review, please support kajj by streaming SELF! As of now, the project is available only on Soundcloud.

 

I HAD THE PLEASURE of meeting Josh Driscoll exactly one time last semester before he departed for Prague this January. During that brief meeting, though, he made quite an impression on me, and we had a really great discussion about electronic music and production techniques. Color me surprised when I learned out that he'd released his debut project, titled SELF, at the beginning of this month! Reviewing a debut project is always exciting for me personally, and I was definitely very excited to give this one a proper look. Clocking in at just under a half hour, SELF is a tight collection of nine tracks, most of which embrace a hard-hitting, forceful, electro-trap sound anchored in huge synthesizers and thick bass foundations. The aesthetic of this album is definitely very distinct, and evokes comparisons to dark cyberpunk and sci-fi horror to me, with its heady, spacious synthesizer passages contrasted with hard-edged saw chords and punchy percussion. As a whole, SELF manages to be uniquely personal while also showcasing innovative sound design and creative production, making this a debut project that shows a lot of potential for the universe of kajj's music.

 

The album begins with "rise (Intro)", a vivid, epic piece that opens with the sounds of an alarm clock and footsteps across crunchy leaves. The sounds of walking are eventually paired with spacious yet sparse synth melodies and cinematic sound effects that give us a slow build-up into the rest of the album. The sound design and mixing here is really well done; nothing feels cluttered and everything shines through, which I think really contributes to the dramatic, movie trailer vibe I get from this opening track. After a short pause, the build-up releases with these resoundingly massive and resonant synth pad chords backed with subtle string plucks and a low sub bass that dial the epic feeling of this track up to eleven. In short, I really like this track as an opening to the album; it sets the album up to be a large-scale event right from the jump, and it certainly did a fine job hooking me in as a listener. The track ends with the sound of a closing door and a meditative exhale before a reversed synth arpeggio starts to fade in to take us into the next track.

 

"I've always had a ton of respect for songwriters that can say powerful things in powerful ways, so with SELF, I wanted to make something that said something of substance while sticking to my roots of electronic music." –Josh Driscoll a.k.a. kajj

 

The second track, "objective", begins with a seamless transition out of the minor key synth arpeggio that ended the intro track. This reversed sound is soon paired with hollow-sounding pad chords, shuffling drums, and a synth bell lead melody that weaves in and out of the established chord progression in an engaging way. The build-up here is done really well, which makes the downward-swooping hi-pass filter that takes us into the beat drop all the more satisfying; everything drops out and we collapse into a heavy 808 bass under an austere drum groove and warped synth fifths. The melodies here undulate and evolve in consistently entrancing ways, which meant that the track never stayed in one place for too long. Josh hits us with a bunch of cool little moments throughout—introducing new synths, adding extra reverb for brief moments, dropping things out at certain times—that add a lot to this track's sense of movement and dynamism. At the two-minute mark, a warped vocoder is introduced, adding a nice organic pseudo-vocal texture to this otherwise very synth-heavy track; a voice proclaims "where do we go?" over and over again underneath synth chords so thick they almost render the words unintelligible. Anyone who's kept up with this blog for a little while knows that a good vocoder is always the way to my heart, and this is no exception. Overall, as the first non-intro track on the album, "objective" makes for a tight showcase of what kajj is all about, as his trademark heavy beats, ingenious synth work, and dynamic production all come to the forefront here.

"drive" opens with another seamless transition out from "objective", this time through an extended sample of what sounds like tape noise that threads through both tracks. As much as I enjoy seamless transitions, the project is only available on Soundcloud at the time of my writing this review, and Soundcloud butchers the transitions between tracks a little, which does ruin them a little for me; I wish we could hear this project on a platform that supports seamless transitions in order to fully appreciate the sense of cohesiveness engendered by the way the tracks flow into each other. That aside, though, "drive" opens with a distorted synth arp that gradually becomes clearer until the minor key, hectic melody can be clearly discerned; I get SNES vibes from the arpeggiated chord progression outlined here, like boss music from an alternate reality '90s video game, and the whole aural presentation of the melody actually reminds me quite a bit of Dog Collar's music in its slightly deranged, relentless, uptempo vibe. Strange, creaking percussive sound effects in the left channel add a nice sense of rhythm leading up to the drop. The drop brings a wubby 808, variously contorted vocal chops, and a full-sounding kick drum to which everything else is heavily sidechained, creating a nice ducking effect that emphasizes the bounce of the track quite well. After the drums drop out, we get what sound like chanted battle cries emanating from far back in the space, accompanied with warlike drum hits that lead us back into the beat drop, this time with a sliding analog synth lead over the top. Josh's melodies on this track are truly great, and while I think the dynamism of his production is a strength across the whole project, it's particularly strong on this track. Each element is managed really well and Josh manages to keep feeding us new things at just the right pace to keep us interested, making "drive" one of my favorite tracks on the album.

 

On "pluto", an analog synth vox patch outlines a cinematic minor chord progression over a heavy synth bass in the track's opening. Soon, some Luigi's Mansion-type warped, frequency modulated leads take up the melody over some heavy 808 slides and flickering, sparse hi-hats. I really love the synth lead sound on this track and it conveys a somewhat whimsical yet haunting aesthetic that suits the vibe of this track perfectly. I also love the little moments of granular-sounding distortion and bitcrushing that use digital artifacting to add extra flavor. I love the retro Halloween vibes of this track, especially during the track's middle section, when some properly haunting chimes and synth strings build up a distinctly horror film-like atmosphere. I did notice some clipping in my monitors while listening to this track, mostly in the left channel where the hi-hats are, and the mix feels a bit cluttered to me overall, but ultimately the somewhat unpolished mix suits the off-kilter insanity of this track quite well, and so I'm not going to knock it too much! I still love this track as a showcase of innovative sound design and production choices, and "pluto" does a lot to show off kajj's creativity at its peak.

 

The following "who? (interlude)" begins with strange drones, panicked panting, and the sounds of running across an open field before lapsing into a dark, early-2010s crunk throwback beat anchored in a gloomy eighth-note bass lead and metallic percussion. The beat is definitely very distinct in its character, with a miry, thick groove that feels like wading through Jell-O, but I did feel like the little snippet we got was missing some of the dynamic and interesting production choices of the tracks before it. It's an interlude, so I suppose it fits the bill, but I guess I was hoping for a bit more of a genuinely off-the-wall, flash-in-the-pan sort of moment from this track's minute and a half of runtime. The mix also feels a little weird to me, with the 808 bass having this strange, high-frequency ring to it that got a tad distracting. Overall, though I didn't love this track immediately, I was interested to pick up on the parallels between this track and the intro track, which both contain the sounds of breathing and footsteps in a grassy field, but where the intro track was calm and meditative and relaxed, this one is panicked and frenetic, with a distinctly sci-fi horror tinge to it—so in the end, "who? (interlude)" did serve to intrigue me further and push me to decipher the message behind the album.

"I didn't want to be too on the nose with the conceptual side of the project, and therefore it was meant to be as open to interpretation as it could be without straying from the idea of saying something." –Josh Driscoll a.k.a. kajj

 

Muffled, LFO-filtered synth chords and reverbed, silvery percussion hits open the following track, "chapel". Eventually, sparse two-step hi-hats and a simple kick pattern pair with a syncopated, spiky synth bass to create a distinctively punchy sound that feels very much like a unique stylistic endeavor compared to the rest of the album. The hi-hats feel slightly out of time, a creative decision which I loved as a result of the track's unmistakably lilting, woozy groove. "chapel" feels like its own thing amidst the rest of the record's electro-trap stylistic leanings, and I really enjoyed getting to hear Josh's diverse sound selection in a new context. That said, we do return to more trap-influenced territory after the beat switch in the second half, which gifts us warped electric piano chords, an acoustic-sounding bass, and little G-funk synth whistle leads sliding in and out of the stereo field. I didn't expect this beat switch at all, and Josh's turn to a more chilled-out hip hop sound was really nice and made for a nice chill oasis in the middle of the album; I felt that Denzel Curry or maybe J Cole would be right at home over this sort of instrumental. "chapel" was definitely a huge standout track for me and I really respect it for expanding the comfort zone Josh had established on the previous tracks; by this point in the album, Josh has showed us he can make bangers, and so this hugely dynamic combination between druggy, edgy pseudo-dubstep and relaxed, easygoing trap/R&B ended up being one of my favorite tracks on the album.

 

"different" is based on a piano, with its transient attack removed and put through enormous reverb, partnered with drill hi-hats and a rhythmic, frequency-modulated bubbling noise for a subtly delirious atmosphere. There are definitely some cool moments of sound design here, but I found myself wishing that the track's somewhat sludgy groove had a clearer sense of progression and energy. I definitely picked up on some similarities between this track and "objective", which both boast similarly sparse grooves and austere instrumental foundations, and I wish this track's first half did a little bit more to differentiate itself and create its own unique sound. Even so, the beat switch halfway through is very nice, as we get a thick, textured synth sub bass and a loosely-vocal, distorted lead synth that sounds like a human voice caged behind the trappings of a cold, metallic vocoder for a cool vibe switch. The qualms that I'd had about this track were largely dispelled by this point; the vocoder/talkbox lead is just so damn cool that I can't really think about anything else! I suppose I had just wished that the first half of the track had adopted a similarly unique sound palette.

"CHAOS", the penultimate track on the album, opens with huge, sweeping minor key synth chords alongside warped, sliced fragments of what I think are vocal chops. We then get a two-step kick drum that occasionally hits really nice subdivisions alongside rhythmic bursts of static for a groove that immediately feels unmatched amongst the rest of the album. I really respect the decision not to lapse back into a more typical trap-style halftime groove; in contrast, the groove on this track feels totally unique and it's definitely its own thing. I also want to draw particular attention to the sound design on this track; the synth lead that enters around a minute and twenty seconds end boasts some crazy automated frequency modulation and panning that gives it a very peculiar nimble, quick-footed sound as it skitters around the stereo field. A robotic, digitized voice also enters occasionally, speaking sentences crushed just beyond the point of intelligibility. The track switches up around three minutes in, as the instrumental foundation shuffles around to include some tempered saw chords and a thick, bouncy 808 that crash in towards the listener in a massive wall of sound. I will say that the 808 sounds a little weird to me, almost like it's slightly out of tune, but that could be more related to harmonics than the actual fundamental tuning, since the 808 also sounds like it's got some strange high-frequency content in it that I found slightly distracting. Either way, I love the track's outro, as the repeated synth chords from the beginning of the track return, and become slowly more crushed and filtered until they fade away to nothing.

The album concludes with "complete (outro)". Tom Beyer would be proud of this track's opening, which combines speed-manipulated and pitch-shifted found sound samples in a way that feels very much like musique concrète to me. I'm not totally sure if I'm right about this, but these samples sound like they might even be from earlier tracks on the album, which, if they are, is just such a cool idea to me; I love it when albums reference back to earlier tracks in their outros, and I think it's a massively creative idea to call back to those tracks by literally including them as samples. We soon enter a spacious soundscape of large-scale arpeggiated synth chords augmented with sliced & looped vocal chops that made for a cool showcase of granular synthesis, building up to a massive beat drop anchored in bitcrushed, EDM-style saw chords hitting alongside minimal percussion that drives home the project's larger-than-life sound in one final moment of bombastic glory. Surprisingly, the album ends on a piano outro, which was a decision that threw me at first, but one that I ended up loving on repeated listens. Josh plays a richly emotional melody line supplemented with some tasteful non-diatonic chords in a truly interesting chord progression that ends off this very synth-heavy electronic project on a remarkably human-sounding and organic note. In case it's not clear already, I really, really enjoyed this track. The numerous switch-ups and different sections felt perfectly paced to me, and Josh showed off enough cool production techniques and sound design to prove that even at album's end, his bag of tricks isn't quite empty just yet.

In spite of all my positivity about SELF, I will fully admit that I didn't love this project on first listen. The project definitely has a very distinctive sound, pairing colossal synth sounds with heavy sidechained kicks and little bits of granular synthesis to create an atmosphere that feels a bit like a pixelated SNES rendering of a retrofuturistic sci-fi horror film. This soundscape was definitely very compelling at the project's beginning, and hooked me into the universe of kajj quite strongly. However, this sound palette started to get a little worn out for me, especially during the second half of the record, and I find myself wishing that kajj had employed a wider array of synth sounds and processing tricks in order to create a more diverse sound palette across the whole album.

 

"In the case of this album, I wanted to make something that depicts the turbulent relationship I seem to have with my musical process; that the journey that comes with making and refining the musical process is not always easy… there are times when you can feel on top of the word, that you are truly an individual and participating in expanding the horizons of music as it is known, and others where you feel like a dot in an endless sea of dots, struggling to find individuality in the art you create; struggling to make yourself as an artist happy." –Josh Driscoll a.k.a. kajj

 

Additionally, I am unashamed to admit that I completely failed to grasp the meaning behind the album on my first listen, and as a result, I found myself really wishing for a more obvious deeper meaning behind the whole thing. Tracks like "chapel" and "CHAOS" tease stylistic progression that might have done more to take me to new emotional territory had they not been paired with tracks like "different" and "who? (interlude)", which feel like they regress towards sounds we've already explored in the first few tracks. Because of this, I wasn't sure how to feel about the sequencing and pacing of this record. This is probably my own personal biases and preconceptions rearing their ugly heads a little, but I found myself wishing that the project had a clearer narrative throughline, with a more cohesive progression from the sound at the start of the record to the sound at the end; I like albums that outline a clear journey, the end of which sees the listener having ended up in a very different place than where they began. I truly didn't get it at all until I read Josh's explanation of the album, where he explains that SELF is a depiction of the stress inherent in the process of creating art—at which point it made total sense! Art is messy and being happy with what you create is never an easy task, and I'd even venture to say that that precarious balance between the creation of art and the artist's own happiness is what drives a lot of us; I know it drives me. Ultimately, the fact that I didn't grasp the meaning of SELF right away isn't a criticism of the record. Perhaps I might have been happier in the short term if the record had literally spelled it out for me, but I like it better this way—raw, uneasy, sometimes unsettling—just like the process of creating art in the first place.

"Aesthetically, the project is meant to be storybook-like… The first three tracks… are meant to represent creating intentioned art that the artist themself is happy with. 'Pluto' marks the end of this part of the cycle, with the interlude 'who?' marking the descent into the uneasiness that comes with [this part of the cycle of creating art]… 'chapel' and 'different' represent an unwillingness for an artist to accept that they are not happy with their art… leading to 'CHAOS' representing trying to force art… This leads to the outro, 'complete', a bittersweet callback to 'objective' and what it represents that leads back to the first track, beginning the cycle as abruptly as it ended. All of this is modeled after my own feelings towards the art I create and is therefore deeply personal. This is another reason I wanted to be as subtle as possible with the conceptual side of the project." –Josh Driscoll a.k.a. kajj

 

At the end of the day, though, none of those first-listen criticisms of mine are dealbreakers for me, because the second listen was where it really clicked for me, and the third listen was when I realized how much I actually enjoyed this record. Josh's ability to marry the aesthetics of EDM and trap into a bass-heavy banger package is remarkably strong, and he flexes that particular skill on a number of tracks on this album. His sound design, while it did start to wear a little thin for me, created a very distinct universe in which this album lives, populated with cyberpunk neon lights under pitch-black night skies and UFOs whizzing by overhead; the overall "album experience" was very strong, and I did genuinely feel transported to kajj's dimension for the duration of the album's runtime. With only a couple exceptions, Josh's sense of pacing in a track is excellent; he manages the dichotomy between buildup and drop with an expert touch, and the constant addition and subtraction of sounds helps to create tracks that consistently undulate and evolve in the pursuit of remaining constantly entertaining. In any case, SELF was a very strong debut project that showcases an excellent grasp of how to make really good electronic music while also being deeply personal and heartfelt, and I am more than happy to continue playing this project on repeat and staying tuned for whatever kajj releases next!

Personal enjoyment score: 8 out of 10

 

Standout tracks: "drive", "pluto", "chapel", "CHAOS", "complete (outro)"