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)"

ASH'S FALL 2022 FAVORITE SONGS SPOTLIGHT: After 8:30, Dog Collar, Ethan Crowley, Kid Reno, nickwuh, Thai Thai, & webcage

Bringing you a collection of songs that I love and thought deserved a mention!
Written by Ash

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This article has been updated to include commentary from Dog Collar.

 

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope finals treated you well, and that you are all now enjoying the winter break in a (relatively) stress-free environment. I'd planned to have a new edition of Singles Spotlight ready for you all to read on Christmas morning as my personal gift to you all, but unfortunately, hardly any MTech students released anything during December... probably, y'know, due to finals and all—which I can't fault anyone for considering that I myself basically lived in Bobst for the last couple weeks of the semester! So in lieu of our regular Singles Spotlight edition, I'm instead bringing you an end-of-semester retrospective list of the songs that I haven't been able to get out of my head this fall semester! I've spoken about some of these songs before, while some are brand new to our blog, and I've talked briefly with some of the artists involved in the hopes of sharing with you some of the creative process that went into these songs. So without further ado, I present to you a list, in no particular order, of some of my favorite MTech songs of the semester! I hope you enjoy the music and don't forget to stream the songs at the links I've provided. Here's to a great 2023 and I will see you all soon!

 

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After 8:30 - And It Goes 

 

This track can be streamed via Joey's Linktree page here!

For the first song we're looking at today, I've selected a little indie pop ditty called "And It Goes", released back in April of 2022. This is the debut single of After 8:30, an indie rock outfit formed in Central Jersey towards the tail end of the pandemic. The band includes MTech sophomore Joey Farrell on keys, rhythm guitar, and backing vocals, NYU Tisch student Matt Woodward on lead guitar and lead vocals, Stevens University music technology undergraduate Sam A. Sherwood on bass, and Eric Tiber on drums. I took the liberty of reaching out to Joey to talk a little bit about the process behind the song. "And It Goes" was actually the first song the group wrote together, and evolved via a sort of extended process of jamming—or "noodling", as Joey aptly put it!

"Our guitarist, Matt, came in with the guitar riff and the prechorus, but nothing else. We all learned the song, and started noodling around trying to compose our own parts… so the structure of the song came first." –Joey Farrell

Built on a summery, sparkling guitar riff, "And It Goes" deals with the aftermath & fallout of a relationship. The song's uptempo presentation and major key musical foundation pair with a set of lead vocal melodies that sort of remind me of early Panic! at the Disco; Matt's lead vocal performance is remarkably loose and organic while also maintaining really strong timefeel and pitch, which, for me, creates a tongue-in-cheek & whimsical vibe that nonetheless showcases a great deal of technical skill. Matt channels a refreshingly camp spirit in his performance, delivering lyrics like "Babe, you are the reason I might just drink a little too much" and dropping casual F-bombs in a way that injects a peppy sense of humor into the song's otherwise heavy subject matter. The vocals absolutely sell the song for me, and the fact that I can totally picture the vocals being delivered with a smile is a huge contributor to the overall fun & somewhat loose vibe of the track.
 

"The song went untitled for several months because we wanted to come up with a title that was unique… We thought 'And It Goes' represented what the lyrics were about: a vicious cycle." –Joey Farrell

Speaking of vibes, the instrumental backing strikes an excellent balance, managing to be at once uptempo and fun while also being unhurried, chill, and laid-back. The resultant cross-section is an endearing and relaxed endeavor that reminds me of late 1960s pop rock and bubblegum pop acts like The Monkees and The Ohio Express. I think part of the '60s vibes come from the production and mixing choices made here; the dry, austere drum sound and the heavily chorused, shimmering guitar licks both evoke callbacks to surf rock for me. It's evident that the band is also really comfortable playing together; as with Matt's vocal performance, the rest of the band manages a nice cross between being tight and loose simultaneously (how does that even work? I have no idea). The feel is nicely locked-in without ever feeling static, and the band consistently throws us little bits of ear candy to keep us entertained. In particular, I really like Joey's muted melodic guitar lines and gradually swelling backing vocals during the instrumental break before the last chorus, and on drums, Eric consistently gives us great little drum fills that always elevate the groove throughout the length of the track. Part of me wishes the track had more elements, but I also think the breezy, casual energy of the track is part of what makes it work so well; the more I thought about it, the more I realized that adding additional instruments and parts might weigh the song down too much for its own good. In short, it's damn near perfect the way it is, and I wanted to be among the first to commend these guys for the wonderful vibe they managed to capture here! Overall, I love this track for its total commitment to being a free spirit, and I'm certainly going to be watching After 8:30 with a keen eye to see what they do next!

 
Dog Collar - Multi Split Scan

This song comes from Dog Collar's Turbo Squid, an album which I reviewed this past October! Please feel free to check out that review here. As well, here are links to the album on Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp for your listening pleasure!
 
The DJ duo Ecliptic, made up of NYU MTech undergrads Dog Collar and Kid Reno, has collectively been responsible for a rather large portion of my techno intake from the past semester. Both Dog Collar and Kid Reno released instrumental electronic albums last fall, and I've chosen to spotlight tracks from both artists in today's article! We're taking a deeper look at Dog Collar's "Multi Split Scan", the third track off of his August 2022 full-length release, Turbo Squid. This track was a particular standout from that album for me; I fell in love with "Multi Split Scan" pretty much immediately over its relentlessly funky rhythms and retro soundscape.

"This track started with the drums… I essentially made all the drum parts years ago when I first started making music… then I returned to this song years later, and had some breakthroughs… it's funny that you chose this song because this is technically one of the first Ableton projects I made." –Sunil Prahbu a.k.a. Dog Collar

The track opens with a sparse kick drum pattern under a strange, bitcrushed-sounding bassline. The danceability of this track is off the charts right away, as Dog Collar blesses us with drums that carry a couple different layered hi-hat patterns, as well as hard-panned synth chords that echo the syncopated bassline; the combination of the two creates a distinct groove right from the get-go. I really love the drum sounds on this track; some very organic-sounding hi-hat sounds in the left channel are juxtaposed quite nicely with some very clearly sample-based, MIDI-sounding hi-hats in the right channel, along with a dusty, punchy snare sample that cuts right through the center of the groove. In addition, Dog Collar does some really nice intervallic synth passages during this section. All the analog sounds used here are rich, textured, and full-sounding, and I find myself becoming quite immersed in the spacious and wide-open soundscape here. The combination between warm analog synths and drums that straddle the line between sounding both organic and programmed places this track's soundscape and vibe quite squarely in the late 1990s for me, with albums like PropellerHeads' Decksandrumsandrockandroll coming to the front of my mind here. Dog Collar's take on the '90s is dark, grimy, and hard-edged, while sacrificing none of the funky spirit and raw energy that defines electronic music of this period for me. The main synth motif has some really interesting interplay between alternating harmonic major and minor sevenths, which creates a slightly unsettling vibe since the track never quite reaches a resolution of sorts. Still, though, this makes moments like 1:36 all the more pleasing; when the dissonant intervals drop out and the track settles quite firmly in natural minor, the track gains a really great sense of driving momentum that never fails to get me headbanging.

"The first drum part that starts the second half I actually ran through my vocal bus, autotune and all, just for shits. I thought it sounded good so I kept it… A lot of the drums originated as sample loops (mostly from Reddit, and a couple sample packs recommended from friends). I found that if I accentuated different frequencies in the samples, I could layer them to create more complex rhythms, and then I could add intense reverb or delay to the drum tracks which I wanted to take up most of the atmosphere." –Sunil Prahbu a.k.a. Dog Collar

Past the two-minute mark, the track's second half enters in full force, as the familiar elements disappear, save for the first half's two kick drums, which keep a constant pulse going. We get a number of layered drum breaks during this section, including one in halftime soaked in syncopated delay, plus a couple that exist more towards the front of the mix; Dog Collar mixes and matches pieces from these various drum breaks, which results in a very rhythmically diverse, continually dynamic soundscape that I find really interesting. There's always something new to grab onto and the groove never gets stale at all. The synth work here is a bit more austere, leaving the listener more room to focus on the excellent drum programming & sampling on display. By the time the track reaches the tail end of its four minutes and forty seconds of runtime, we're leagues away from where we began, which I feel speaks to the strength of the experience of the journey that Dog Collar was able to distill here. Despite how dynamic the production is on this track, the spirit of dance consistently remains the focal point here, and "Multi Split Scan" offers no compromises on that front. I imagine this track will translate to dance floors and nightclubs perfectly and I truly cannot wait to experience it live for the first time!

 

Ethan Crowley - 603 

 

I also reviewed this track as part of my review of Ethan Crowley's latest album, Drowning in a Glass of Water, a review which you can check out here! The album can be streamed via this link.
 
Way back in October, I decided I wanted to start a blog wherein I reviewed music released by other students in the program, a decision partially spurred by the wonderful exchanges of feedback and constructive criticism at the Collegium listening sessions I'd participated in to that point. In particular, the September Collegium listening session brought to the stage singer-songwriter Ethan Crowley and his track "In My Dreams", the lead single from his debut LP. I found myself really moved by not just that track, but also the earnest comments on it made by the Collegium audience, and it just so happened that Ethan's debut project, Drowning in a Glass of Water, was the first LP I took a crack at on this blog. So in a way, I guess, Ethan's partially responsible for the birth of this blog, for better or for worse!

Anyways, as great a track as "In My Dreams" was, it's not that song we're looking at today; rather, I've chosen "603" for inclusion on this semester-end retrospective instead. The seventh track off of Drowning in a Glass of Water, this track sees Ethan's innate folk songwriting sensibilities collide with an excellent pop chorus to create an achingly tender final product that displays Ethan's strengths at their finest.

"I wrote '603' during a pretty difficult year for me, and I used that song to express some of the emotions that I was feeling." –Ethan Crowley

 

The song opens with a straightforward electric guitar riff that outlines an austere pop chord progression. Ethan delivers subdued & tender vocals over this sparse instrumental foundation for the duration of this first verse; his melodies are really nice here, and his performance rather convincingly communicates the song's topics of regret and heartbreak. The first chorus sees Ethan deliver a powerful, soaring chorus melody with throbbing pathos; this chorus is absolutely killer and hearing Ethan let the vocals rip like this consistently makes for a great moment. The magic only builds from here, though, as the second verse makes a number of striking changes to the established soundscape; the lead vocals become accompanied by some really nicely octave doubled backing vocals, and the finger-picked electric guitar from the first verse is replaced by some chunky, rhythmic power chords played on stereoized and doubled acoustic guitars over a subtle electric bass. Although this second verse is still pretty understated in its presentation, the introduction of all these new elements makes the song feel distinctly bigger and larger in scope at this point. The song manages the buildup and constant evolution of its soundscape really well, which is definitely one of my favorite things about this track and speaks to Ethan's strengths as a songwriter, arranger, and producer.

 

After the second chorus, Ethan gives us an achingly tender bridge before dropping back into a stripped-back rendition of the chorus section. From here, some vocal runs and the subtle entrance of a piano build up the song one last time before the song's grandiose final chorus, during which Ethan hits some amazing tenor harmonies over an increasingly tortured lead vocal performance in a moment that drives home all the emotion all at once. The various guitar sounds from earlier in the track combine and join forces for this final chorus, backed by some really tasteful piano countermelodies. By the time the song ends, I'm utterly emotionally spent, which I feel is a sign that the emotional journey Ethan crafted for us here was executed exceptionally well. The last chorus hits like nothing else, and the track's peaks and valleys culminate in an exquisite release of tension that I feel is truly special. However, if I have one criticism of this song, it has to do with the vocals. Ethan's a great singer, don't get me wrong, but I find some of the pitch correction work done on his vocals to be a bit much, especially when his vocals dip into the lower parts of his range during the verses; he ends up sounding a bit artificial for my taste, which is a shame, because his voice is truly great and deserves to exist in its natural state. I also find the choice of reverb on the lead vocals to be slightly distracting; this reverb has a really long, pronounced tail, and it tends to crash back on itself in a way that reduces the intelligibility of the lyrics a bit too much. Otherwise, though, this track is truly a breathtaking showcase of Ethan's abilities as a performer, producer, and songwriter, and it should absolutely be going on your playlist of breakup songs from here on out! I consider "603" to be a rare achievement of songwriting pathos, and I hope that one day, I'll be able to sell emotion as convincingly as Ethan managed here. I eagerly await whatever new release follows Drowning in a Glass of Water, and I hope the Collegium crowd loves the next single as much as we did the last one!

 

Kid Reno - REDEYEBROWS135

I reviewed the project this song came from, Kid Reno's Techno for Children & Dogs, back in October. Feel free to read that review here! Additionally, here are links to the album on Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp!

 

"'REDEYEBROWS135' was created by me, high as hell in Austria before I went back to sleep, experimenting with kick tones, frequency shifters, and LFOs to create my rhythms and hi-hats, because my friend dyed his eyebrows red and I thought they looked really good." –Reno Haas a.k.a. Kid Reno

Before I'd made my first foray into the music of Dog Collar, Kid Reno's Techno for Children & Dogs was the second project I ever reviewed on this blog, and it's a really good one, throwing the listener headbanging bombast and meditative soundscapes in equal measure. To this day, I can't think of anything else that sounds quite like it; Reno managed a really excellent combination of saavy sampling work and innovative production to create a thoroughly futuristic project. Today, I'm taking a deeper look at "REDEYEBROWS135", the second track off the LP. Created during Kid Reno's stay in a mountain resort in Austria during the summer of 2022, this is a more chilled-out endeavor compared to some of the more breakneck moments of unadulterated raw energy on this record, pulling soundscapes and rhythms from '90s house music in the pursuit of a distinctly laid-back, aquatic techno vibe.

"I smoked a spliff and opened Ableton and was messing around with its stock arpeggiators until I tweaked a patch to my liking—that's the first sound you hear." –Reno Haas a.k.a. Kid Reno

The track opens with a heavenly, reverb-heavy arpeggiator sound, articulating a shimmery melody through watery bells and chimes that continually sound from different places in the stereo field. Soon after, a tight, round synth bass enters amidst shuffling, syncopated percussion rhythms. The synth bass hits every quarter note, while a soft kick drum hits some nice offbeat pulses pretty far back in the mix, creating a subtly complex rhythmic feel that anchors this opening section. I really enjoy the vibe of this section, which I felt meshed some really well-chosen sounds together to create a really strong underwater techno soundscape, lending the track its own unique vibe and spirit right away.

"…I was using MIDI for ['REDEYEBROWS135'] and was having a lot of fun turning some lo-fi keyboard sounds into my kick tones… I found that there's a certain frequency range, around 40 to 80 Hz, that really shines… so I take my sound, and then I use a frequency shifter to tune it down to a specific hertz, and then I use the Spectrum Ableton plugin to watch where the frequency lands… then I use a lot of EQ… and then I use saturators and drum busses to darken the sound and create a fuller noise… there's this stock reverb in Ableton called "Sub Boom", and it reverberates the low end like crazy and creates a sub, so I'll take that and double it… so at the end of it, there will be three or four layers…" –Reno Haas a.k.a. Kid Reno 

The track's second half brings a pretty significant beat switch, as a wubby kick drum enters, replacing the synth bass, and the whole track darkens significantly in terms of both frequency content and vibe. The arpeggiators from the first half remain, though they sound bigger and more reverb-heavy now, almost like they're calling out to the listener from the back of a cave. A relatively simple hi-hat pattern then becomes layered with an additional drum break sample, incorporating many metallic-sounding percussion hits that flicker in and out of each ear. The track's last section brings a set of almost human-like breath noises that oscillate, alternating with crushed snare hits as the hi-hats pick up the pace and the energy builds to its peak. I really enjoy the sense of dynamism and gradual movement this track brings; the arpeggiators stay constant throughout, whereas the rest of the soundscape undergoes slight changes moment-to-moment that help the whole song stay fresh and interesting. Reno's sound design is really incredible here, and I think his custom sounds—most notably that keyboard sound that he turned into a kick drum—do a lot to sculpt the truly unique soundscape of this track. This track is perfect for the dance floor and I am counting down the days until winter break is over and I can finally see Ecliptic perform live! With the one-two punch of Kid Reno's Techno for Children & Dogs and Dog Collar's Turbo Squid, I feel relatively safe in declaring 2022 as a W for the DJ duo, and I hope their journey into 2023 sees a continuation of the exciting and evolving musical soundscapes they've established here.
 

nickwuh - my everest

My review of nickwuh's us against the universe is probably still the single longest review I've ever written on this blog, and I truly poured my heart and soul into it, so I would greatly appreciate it if y'all would check it out here! As always, here are the streaming links to the project on Spotify and Apple Music.

With a 17-track album and a healthy handful of singles under his belt during this year alone, picking a standout nickwuh track proved to be a really difficult task when I was writing this article. Having said that, though, the clear choice for me was "my everest"; though this track never saw the light of day as its own single release, I thought it appropriate to show some album cuts some love! The sixth track off of nickwuh's sprawling studio effort us against the universe, "my everest" takes just about everything I love about Nick Wu's music and distills it into a four-minute opus that is easily one of my most replayed student tracks of the year. Nick gives us an earnestly vulnerable and honest performance through earworm pop vocal melodies, meticulously layered production, and enough genre crossovers and beat switches to satisfy even the most jaded of pop listeners.
 

The track opens with a short verse from featured artists thms. over a bed of understated, warm synth pads. A short instrumental break introduces a bright guitar riff that Nick says was inspired by HoneyComeBear's "Wasurekata". Nick named a couple other tracks as direct influences upon the songwriting & production of "my everest", namely Puppet's "Fuji Rock" and James Ivy's "Yearbook", both of which straddle the line between electronica and pop punk. That crossgenre combination shines through clearly, with the combination of Nick's synth-based electronic production and emo-influenced vocal melodies anchoring "my everest".
 

"Puppet's EDM pop punk style is deeply ingrained into my influences… his music was my introduction into pop punk." –Nick Wu a.k.a. nickwuh

 

The second featured artist, lil slav, takes over lead vocals for the second verse, trading lines back and forth with Nick before a soft, tenderly performed bridge courtesy of Jason Solo. I really love Jason's performance on the bridge here; he brings a really mellow, richly textured vocal timbre that makes for a nice contrast with the singing voices of both lil slav and Nick himself, which tend to be lighter in tone and sharper-sounding overall. Jason also delivers some of the most earnest and hard-hitting lyrics on the song during this section, as he relates, "A stupid thing to dream for someone seventeen/Yet a song that turns out right is still a victory". Speaking of lyrics, "my everest" is about the personal fulfillment and existential satisfaction that Nick (and friends) gain from pursuing music as a passion; the title refers to the characterization of music as a "never-ending climb", thus being like Everest in a sense. Now, maybe I'm just a little biased here, since as an MTech student myself, I've also chosen to pursue music full-time, but I found this song extremely relatable. I thought that Nick's earnest lyricism and heartfelt performance sold how emotionally weighty the decision to pursue a career as dicey as music can be, and that's something I imagine many of us can relate to.
 

"The initial chorus for 'my everest' came to me one day as I was recording vocals… I came up with the idea around the end of my junior year summer, so it took basically a whole year for me to finally finish it." –Nick Wu a.k.a. nickwuh 

Coming out of the track's final chorus, Nick blesses us with a truly meteoric beat switch, as the tempo slows down enough for some crashing acoustic drums and massive guitars to take up the pulse of the song instead in a moment that goes full-tilt pop punk. Izomii takes over lead vocals during this final act, bringing an Alex Gaskarth meets Gerard Way-esque vocal performance that sees them nail soaring melodies with ease. The lead vocals are also accompanied by some economical yet effective sustained backing vocal harmonies for a remarkably beautiful pairing; the vocals in this section are truly perfect and do a great deal to advance the sense of emotional release I get from this outro section. The outro of "my everest" is probably one of my favorite outros in any piece of music, ever, and it makes for a truly climactic moment in the song's progression. If I had one piece of constructive feedback to give, it might be that I feel that the song takes a little too long to get us to this point, but I also think that the four minutes of runtime we have to get through before the outro is precisely why that outro works so well; it feels utterly earned and it feels like a huge release of everything we've spent the past four minutes building up. I will, however, echo one of my greater points of contention with us against the universe here, and say that I wish that the vocal processing & vocal performances were more distinct; it's not always obvious to me whether thms. or lil slav or Nick himself is singing at any given moment, and I'd love to be able to tell their voices apart a little bit more. Otherwise, though, this track is truly great, and I'll be the first to reference it as a peak example of how Nick's music crosses genre boundaries and nails down great pop hooks in a way that for me is truly special.

Thai Thai - KILL 4 MY SPOT

This track comes off of Thai Thai's EP TELEVISED SUICIDE, which you can stream here! As always, feel free to check out my review of that project at this link, and don't forget to watch the extremely eye-catching music video for the track on YouTube!
 
Thai Thai's short, five-track EP TELEVISED SUICIDE is perhaps my favorite rap project I've reviewed this past semester, and today I've selected the EP's second track, "KILL 4 MY SPOT", for further review! A striking & gripping experience from start to finish, TELEVISED SUICIDE is a body of work defined by its emotionally open and vulnerable take on trauma and loss, along with an overarching theme of the constant interrogation of oneself and the pursuit of personal growth, all rendered through Thai Thai's excellent lyrical sensibilities and songwriting prowess. "KILL 4 MY SPOT" basically takes all of the myriad strengths of TELEVISED SUICIDE and condenses them into a tight three-minute package that I feel makes for a resoundingly successful introduction to the universe of Thai Thai and his music.
 

"I found creative inspiration from artists such as Kendrick Lamar and Denzel Curry… I'd say Kendrick Lamar inspired the hook specifically… Denzel Curry is an inspiration behind almost every one of my verses when it comes to delivery, flow, and lyricism." –Mathias Quilon a.k.a. Thai Thai

 

"KILL 4 MY SPOT" brings an instrumental made by San Francisco producer sliquethousin. Based in sweet harp chords over sparse percussion, vocal chanting, and subtle string lines, the instrumental feels very solidly indebted to modern conscious rap; I was immediately reminded of J Cole and Kendrick Lamar on first listen, a resemblance enhanced somewhat by Thai Thai's delivery, which I thought bore a striking similarity to Kendrick's own voice. Thai Thai's Denzel Curry influences are also very clear here, as his verses carry a confident swagger that belies the undercurrent of self-interrogation and introspection that define the track's lyrical throughline; the result reminds me very much of the trauma-focused and introspective topics on both Kendrick's Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers as well as Denzel's Melt My Eyez, See Your Future. Lyrically speaking, the track deals with the implications of pursuing music when it comes to one's perception of oneself, balancing aggressive bravado in the verses with open vulnerability in the chorus in a way that feels cohesive. I very much admire this track's deconstruction of the self, and its willingness to openly interrogate the behaviors that led to its creation—attributes which I feel speak to a certain artistic boldness that helped me develop a healthy respect for Thai Thai's creative journey as an artist.  

"Lyrically, I wanted to speak on the feeling of coming into my own as an artist… I also wanted to touch on how pursuing a musical path has affected the way others perceive me, because at the time I felt I was being criticized by a lot of people for simply doing something that makes me happy." –Mathias Quilon a.k.a. Thai Thai

I also wanted to draw particular attention to the mixing and mastering work done by Thai Thai on this track. In my initial review of TELEVISED SUICIDE, I gave particular praise to the EP's level of professionalism and polish in its presentation, and I've only grown more impressed with it as time goes on. On "KILL 4 MY SPOT", everything feels like it has space within the mix, and all the elements work together in support of the song as a whole. The lead vocal engineering on the track is also a standout feature, as Thai Thai used a heavy chorus in order to sink the vocals more deeply into the instrumental background; the song feels & moves like a totally locked-in cogent unit, which I think helps a lot in the cultivation of the track's unique vibe. It's sometimes said that the best mixing and mastering work goes unnoticed, and I'd say that holds true here; there's absolutely nothing to break the immersion or pull me out of the experience, and with this track, the experience is everything. "KILL 4 MY SPOT" seeks to balance grounded pensiveness and existential frustration in a wholly brave & vulnerable combination, executed with professional-grade precision. With TELEVISED SUICIDE, Thai Thai cemented himself as one of my favorite rappers from the MTech scene, and I'll be sure to stay tuned to see what he does next!

 

webcage - self-esteem

This track can be streamed on Spotify and Apple Music, as well as purchased via Bandcamp!

 

The hyperpop collective webcage, which includes former MTech student torr and current MTech undergraduate Franco Vizcaya a.k.a. _st1cks alongside a plethora of other members, is on the rise amidst the Internet hyperpop scene. webcage recently passed ten thousand monthly listeners on Spotify, and I've been eagerly following their gradual rise in popularity over the past year or so. I've found one particular track, entitled "self-esteem", routinely cropping up in my Spotify listening history during this stretch, and I thought I'd take a closer look at this track today!
 
"self-esteem" is the opening track off of webcage's acclaimed 2021 LP peer2peer, a collection of banger hyperpop tracks that inhabit a pop punk-adjacent soundscape built on top of innovative sound design and unique combinations of crossgenre elements. I took a quick read through some online commentary about the album, and found users who drew comparisons to the work of underscores, glaive, and BROCKHAMPTON, referencing webcage's Internet collective beginnings and pop punk-inspired sound.
 
"self-esteem" opens with a reverb-heavy drum break, followed by a wailing lead synth, sparse yet bouncy drums, and massive synth bass that hit us with a huge, forceful first chorus. The hook here is performed by torr, webcage founder and former MTech undergraduate whose own solo track "selfdestruct" just crossed 1.5 million Spotify plays late last year. torr's vocals here are slathered in autotune and distortion, pairing a lower lead vocal with a formant-shifted, high-pitched backing vocal an octave up. As with his own solo work, torr's vocal melody here is irresistibly catchy, conveying a fun-loving spirit and lack of self-seriousness that results in a thoroughly entertaining earworm of a hook. The first verse, performed by Portland-based artist saoirse dream, brings something of a vibe switch, as the bouncy, heavy synthesizers from the hook are replaced by moody emo finger-picked electric guitars and autotuned backing vocal harmonies. Speaking of, the harmonies are really nice here, as saoirse dream pairs some backing melodies that weave and duck independently of one another in a way that almost feels contrapuntal. The result is remarkably organic & textured despite the heavy use of autotune, as the harmonies never feel static, and they continually outline the song's underlying chord progression in new and interesting ways. saoirse dream also brings one of my favorite lyrics on the record, as they open their verse with the lines, "Most days I can't remember what I did the day before/I probably just sat in my bed leaving empty monsters on the floor", through a nicely-flowing melody that parallels the apathetic lyrics very well.

daywaiter's second verse brings some nicely-arranged vocal harmonies that serve to further intensify the BROCKHAMPTON parallels for me, as something about daywaiter's vocal timbre here reminds me a little of Kevin Abstract. The luscious vocal layers have some interesting interplay here as they alternate in and out, further diversifying the melodic soundscape. bh's chorus follows shortly after, bringing an octave-doubled main melody as he discusses themes of self-discovery and bottling-up of one's problems. There's also some cool call-and-response bits of backing vocals that echo parts of the lead vocal in interesting ways. Nebita's third verse represents a bit of a come-down, as the vibe gets a little more chilled out. I really love the timbre of the fourth verse's vocalist, wishlane; I can't think of any specific vocalist wishlane's voice reminds me of, but I really like the almost R&B-esque vocal inflections and organic vocal chain in use here. wishlane's verse makes for a decidedly human moment, which I thought was a great pacing decision before the track's blazing final act. This verse also ends with a really cool moment wherein wishlane sings a progressively ascending sustained note alongside what sounds like digital formant shifting, creating an effect where their voice starts as a relatively normal-sounding tenor before ascending in pitch past the realm of one's natural vocal range; I thought it made for a nice marriage between the artistic abilities of webcage's members and the cool production techniques and technological trickery they employed here.

The track's last section sees the return of torr's opening hook, this time backed by some fast-paced, chunky pop punk power chords and crescendoing acoustic drums that swell into a crashing, bombastic final chorus in a moment that feels like a distinctly modern spin on early Blink-182 for me. The last chorus gives us huge, distorted power chords and heavily-limited, punchy drums that amass into a titanic wall of sound. This last chorus is truly beautiful and it makes for a deeply cathartic release of tension; the cross-section of disaffected apathy, raging loneliness, and bombastic hedonism absolutely make this song for me, and I hope webcage gives us another project soon that builds on everything that made this one great!

~~~~

That's all for this Fall 2022 retrospective review! Thank you all so much for your support, as always! We hope to share many more reviews with you in the coming semester. Enjoy the rest of the break and I will see you all on the eighth floor in the new semester!

–Ash

EP REVIEW: Strawberry Launch - Strawberry Launch (Self-Titled)

Strawberry Launch’s self-titled debut EP delivers hard-hitting lyrics, virtuosic arrangements, and a compelling story told through their vibrant lens.

Reviewed by Reggie Katz, edited by Ash

 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: As always, don't forget to support Strawberry Launch by streaming and/or purchasing the EP! The links to the project on all major platforms, including Bandcamp (where the album can be purchased), can be found via Strawberry Launch's Linktree page.

 

I WAS INTRODUCED TO Strawberry Launch through Taylor “Tilly” Hurt, the keyboardist, background vocalist, and current student in the Music Tech program. A couple of things caught my attention before listening to the EP, the first being the album cover. Simple in nature, but wisely crafted, the album cover looks like an arts & crafts project Van Gogh might have made as a little kid. The cover represents a literal take on the band’s name, the large strawberry on the cover doubling as a rocket ship in outer space. The cover even includes what Saturn would look like if it was a strawberry. All of this is charming and fits the band’s aesthetic. The second thing that stood out to me was that this group is an entirely female-fronted band, which isn’t necessarily that common in the indie-rock scene. These ladies, Tilly (keys and backing vocals), Riiza (lead vocals), Abby (bass), Matrianna (guitar), and their drummer Benjy, have already started making their mark, sharing the stage with Beach Bunny and Hot Flash Heat Wave, and receiving a write-up in Rolling Stone India. With all of these achievements under their belt, I had high expectations for this EP. Safe to say, they were exceeded.
 

Pictured above: The five members of Strawberry Launch. Clockwise from top left: Guitarist Matrianna Gahol, drummer Benjy Berkowitz, bassist Abby Flicker, lead vocalist Riiza McCroskey, and keyboardist & backing vocalist Taylor Hurt.
 

“Crystal Eyes” is the velvety and ambitious outset of the EP that welcomes us into the psychedelic musical universe Strawberry Launch has created. The track is entirely instrumental, with the exception of a chopped-up spoken word sample placed far back in the mix for added texture. It’s always risky for an artist or band to begin a lyrical project with an entirely instrumental track, especially in this case, when the instrumental is a little shy of 5 minutes in length. But it’s clear that the band has a soundscape they were going for in this project, and the first track only helps to establish it. The song starts off with a synth reminiscent of the 80s pop sound, a sound that reminded me of Wham! or Foreigner, repeating an ostinato on its own until the guitar comes in and follows the same pattern. When the drums came in, I first noticed how much space they filled. These drums sound like they were far-tracked, and you can really hear the room they were recorded in. The track builds and builds into this big, bombastic climax, eventually coming down until all we have left is the bassist leading us out with a killer bass line, played deep in the pocket. Even though I think this track was executed very well, I wish there were more lyrical elements throughout. On the contrary, the fact that the band establishes their sound before incorporating any words gives us more room to focus on the lyrics of each song without getting disoriented by the production. It was a courageous move for the band to start the EP with an instrumental, so they prove early on that this will be an interesting EP that isn’t going to play safe.

After having a 3-minute dance break in my room to “She”, I listened to it again closer so I would have something to say other than “this is She, the divinely danceable 2nd track off of the EP.” This song strangely reminded me of the sound of an early Vanessa Carlton; it’s a very light song that’s easy to listen to, but written in a way that allows for a lot of depth and emotional resonance. Many pop songs are written such that the choruses, rather than the verses, have the highest melodic peaks so that the choruses retain the greatest emotional impact. This song does the opposite. Normally when a song is written like this, it doesn’t work very well, but they sure did pull it off. With the verses peaking so high, it really emphasizes why the “She” makes the narrator feel so special, and makes us float into the soft embrace of the “She” with the narrator during the choruses. The song does have some cliché lyrics such as “turning water to wine,” keeping your “eye on the prize,” and having “two left feet,” but I didn’t mind them since they didn’t distract too much attention from the rest of the song. There’s practically no pitch correction used on Riiza's voice. It sounds like she just has great pipes. This track is pleasant and carefree, and definitely worth a listen.

“There’s no one to curse at but me”, Riiza exclaims, in this indie punk-pop song, appropriately titled “Fork”, which is the third track on this project. It talks about having some blockage in your mind, knowing it’s entirely your fault. This song plays on cliché as well, but the ideas of them are expanded upon more, which is swell because now we get to hear the narrator’s thoughts on this cliché. Having a “fork in the road” is a phrase that is used so frequently that it has now become cliché, but the song did expand upon the idea regarding why they felt like there was this blockage in their mind. Compared to the rest of the tracks on the album, this track is one of the weaker ones, but still well-executed. Melodically, it didn’t travel very far and it felt like we were building up steam in the previous tracks, and we lost it a little bit in this song. The musical talent is still very much here though. It’s evident that another trait that makes this indie band different from the rest is their distinguished musical abilities.

Matrianna's opening guitar tone felt like a mixture of tones from The Beatles and Silk Sonic on “Sophie”, the 4th track on the project. I consider this song to be the beginning of the falling action of the journey of love that this narrator once felt. Built on a simple refrain of “Sophie, it’s funny how things change”, the track explores the concepts of dichotomy and internal conflict through rapid changes in presentation. The first section is a light-hearted description of Sophie, singing some lyrics that might even be considered affable. When they switch to the second section, there’s a large shift in energy, with Riiza exclaiming “no I don’t want to know you, Sophie.” It feels like the narrator is having a battle in her mind about whether Sophie is good or bad for her. Because of this and because of the lyric “Sophie stranger to my mind,” it seems like Sophie might be the “fork in the road.”. There’s a really nice guitar solo toward the end of the song. Nothing crazy necessarily, but it demonstrated control as well as Matrianna's ability to play in service of the song, rather than playing to show off. I thought this track was fantastic and definitely worth a listen. The echoing final lyric “I wonder if you know me” ushers us to the penultimate track on the EP.

One thing that is consistent with each lyrical song on this project is that every first lyric hooks the listener in. The fifth track on the EP, “That’s on Me”, continues the internal and external struggles that have defined the rest of the project to this point.  The story of the song is vague enough for many people to relate to, but specific enough so that it has some meaning. Screaming in the high school parking lot, wanting to be with someone who just broke up with their girlfriend, and giving in to urges of love that we can’t suppress are themes that a large sum of listeners could relate to. There are some clichés in this song as well, but I don't mind them since they’re strategically placed throughout so the track doesn’t end up feeling lousy. I wish the vocals were less touched up in this track, but the talent shines through still, and deeper messages spark in this song when Riiza sings “I know it might hurt, but that’s on me,” invoking themes of possible self-sabotage which is difficult for the narrator to take control of.

The opening chord progression on “The Sun.”, the final track on the EP, is a really beautiful progression that we haven’t heard anything like yet on the EP, played on a heavily reverberated guitar. This track is a nice closer to signify the fact that even though Sophie may not be in the narrator’s life anymore, she’ll always be remembered. “I stare at the sun ‘cause I know you’re out there staring somewhere” is a nice final comment on Sophie implying that you can see the sun everywhere you go, so Sophie will be remembered everywhere.

Overall, I thought this album was superb, and definitely one of my favorite student projects I’ve listened to this year. There were a lot of clichés throughout the project, but there was even more personal interpretation, original thought, proficient musical abilities, tremendous production skills, and a great story. I really enjoyed the lofi-esque mixing and mastering, and the dark turn the EP took towards the end regarding themes of self-sabotage in relationships. Even though this EP is self-titled, the title does seem to relate to the idea of the project; if you’re trying to grow something sweet, like a strawberry, or a relationship, it can easily become sour if you aren’t careful. Worthy of all the praise, including mine, I am excited to see how far this band will go, and I’m even more excited to see what music is in store for them next.

Personal enjoyment score: 8.5 out of 10
Standout Tracks: “She”, “Sophie”, “That’s on Me”, “The Sun.”

EP REVIEW: The Plastic Eyes - Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes

On Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes, The Plastic Eyes deliver a refreshingly modern, polished spin on 1970s classic rock.

Reviewed by Ash

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Before reading this review, please take ten minutes to give the EP a listen! The links to the project on all major streaming platforms can be found via The Plastic Eyes' Linktree page.

A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR from me to you! I hope you all are resting comfortably as your final grades from last semester trickle in. Today, I'm bringing you a bite-sized review of a similarly-sized project. Hailing from Florida, the retro-flavored rock band The Plastic Eyes released their debut EP in October of 2022. Titled Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes, the EP is a tight, three-song collection of 1970s throwback classic rock that showcases the band's three members locked in sync together like a well-oiled machine. Fronted by MTech undergrad Tomas Della Torre, who performs lead vocals and guitars, the EP was recorded as a three-piece, with Pedro Restrepo on bass and Isaac Poler on drums. Tomas also served as chief songwriter and lyricist during the making of the EP, which was recorded at Hit Central in northern Miami and at Isaac's home studio. The end result is a faithful ode to classic rock that sees the band turn in a remarkably tight package of songs, cementing all three members as skilled musicians.

 

Pictured above: The Plastic Eyes. From left to right: drummer Isaac Poler, guitarist & vocalist Tomas Della Torre, bassist Pedro Restrepo, and guitarist Rogelio Bofill. Rogelio joined The Plastic Eyes after the recording sessions for Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes, hence why I haven't really mentioned him in this review.

The EP opens with "Acid Rain", which kicks off the project on a dark, slowly-building guitar riff. The tight guitar & bass interplay on this track reminded me a bit of Fleetwood Mac, with the guitar parts integrating melodic passages and chords together in a way that I thought was pretty cool. Tomas delivers a composed vocal performance through a smooth baritone timbre that I thought was like a cross between Richard Ashcroft of The Verve and classic soul vocalists like Roy Orbison. The vocal melody during the chorus is especially catchy, and the opening line of "We were stuck between the city and the bay" definitely got stuck in my head a few different times while writing this review! I also thought the guitar layering on this track was really nice, as the band combined steady rhythmic power chords with various little countermelodies and hard-panned alternate chord voicings for a complex and diverse soundscape; in particular, I really enjoyed the little stepwise ascending figures in the right channel during the chorus, which I felt added a really great sense of movement to the whole thing. Isaac's drumming is also quite steady here, as he provides a solid pulse to the track while also hitting some tasteful, economical fills and little spot cues that the rest of the band follows very closely; it's evident from this first track that the band is really comfortable playing together, and the feel of everything remains impeccable throughout.

Pictured above: Bassist Pedro Restrepo, performing live with The Plastic Eyes.

The second track, "ORDEP", opens with a four-on-the-floor kick drum and regular power chords that establish a driving rhythm early on; these elements are soon joined by an eighth-note bassline. I really love Pedro's bass tone here; it hits with a rounded low end paired with just the right amount of ferocious, high-mid growl to stand out amidst the rest of the mix and provide some bite to the sound of the song. Pedro was also responsible for composing the chord progression in the chorus, which is another part of this song I particularly enjoyed. The blend of minor and major seventh chords pairs quite well with Tomas's soaring vocal melody, and Isaac's spot cues and fills are once again on point, giving the track a consistent-but-varied pulse. The band remains remarkably tight and each performance feels very locked-in, which I feel speaks to the level of familiarity the band's members have with each other as well as the material. If I do have one piece of constructive feedback for this song, it's that I wish the second verse moved the soundscape of the track forward a little more. As it stands, after the chorus, we mostly return to a fairly minimal instrumental soundscape anchored in pretty austere bass and guitar parts, and I found myself wishing for the addition of maybe one or two small elements to differentiate the second verse from the first more strongly and give it a clearer sense of progression. All things considered though, "ORDEP" is catchy, breezy, and infectious, and the band's tight performances and technical proficiency do a lot to elevate the track.

Pictured above: Isaac Poler, drummer for The Plastic Eyes.

The EP's third and final track, "Next Day's Diary", is a slightly more downtempo soft rock endeavor that feels like Tomas's take on the pop rock songwriting of acts like The Cure and Chicago. I really love the verses on this track; Tomas's opening line of "Selling souls isn't the way to go" is instantly ear-catching, and the chord progression and vocal melodies employed here are both aces. It's a shame we only get one verse, as a short, fiery guitar solo occupies the space between the first and second chorus. Still, though, this guitar solo is a good one, as Tomas gets a moment to shine as a guitarist, employing some tasteful bends and vibrato in a relatively frugal solo that nevertheless elevates the song quite a bit. The melodic guitar passages that crop up during the second chorus are also really nice, and interweave themselves with the vocal melody in a way that creates some interesting interplay. Speaking of the chorus, Tomas's vocal melody here consists mostly of long, sustained notes, resulting in a fairly simple melody with not a lot of variation or "ear candy" moments. On its own, this is fine, but I found myself really wishing for more melodic stuff with which to fill the space. In particular, I thought that some additional harmony layers might elevate the track a little more—chiefly because the limited backing harmonies we do hear sound really nice, and secondly because I think Tomas's smooth, rich baritone voice would sound excellent with some bigger and more expansive vocal layers. After the second chorus, the track breaks into an extended instrumental outro section. Isaac blesses us with some slightly crazier fills during this section to really drive home the catharsis of this moment, and I love Tomas's guitar parts during this section, as he layers nicely-voiced seventh chords and pseudo-melodic passages. The extended outro also sees Tomas let the vocals rip a little, as he gifts us a couple of descending falsetto passages (which represent the only times he leaves his baritone chest voice on the entire EP) and one particularly beautiful belted high note. As great as these vocal moments were, I only wish we'd gotten more of them!

Pictured above: Tomas Della Torre plays his Telecaster-type guitar live in concert.

With that being said, wanting more seems to be a recurring theme when evaluating my overall thoughts on this EP. It's evident that The Plastic Eyes are a very tight, technically skilled band, made up of saavy musicians who know their way around their respective instruments, complete with a skilled vocalist in Tomas. However, because of that, my chief subjective critique is that I find myself wishing that the band were a little more audacious and bold with their creative choices. It's very clear that The Plastic Eyes have absolutely no trouble pulling off this faithful rendering of '70s classic rock, but I'd love to see them get a little wilder and dirtier, with crazier riffs, more innovative sounds, and an ethos that commits itself a little more to breaking the established mold. Similarly, Tomas is a very skilled singer with a great vocal timbre, but I almost find myself wishing he sounded a little less polished & put-together at times. With the exception of the outro on "Next Day's Diary", Tomas doesn't give us a whole lot of moments where he really lets the vocals rip, and I'd love to hear a vocalist of his caliber truly unleash his voice and let it soar and let some more rawness and passion shine through. I have similar thoughts regarding the mixes, done by Dave Poler at Isaac's home studio. The mixes are clear and polished, and everything sounds rather professional while maintaining the project's retro spirit, but at the same time, I wish the project embraced a more striking aesthetic with regard to its sound, and threw more sounds at me that grabbed my attention more strongly, even if that means creating a final product that's a little more rough around the edges. Maybe this is too much to ask of a band that has only just released its debut project, but in my own humble opinion, this band and its members have a veritable ton of potential, and I would be very excited to see them lean into that potential and make something undeniably off-the-wall, crazy, and massive in scope.

However, please don't mistake my desire to see The Plastic Eyes innovate some more for an intrinsic dislike of the band, because I do really enjoy this EP at the end of the day and I think there's a lot to love about these guys. As I mentioned earlier, the whole band is super tight, and they boast an impressive level of cohesion in their playing with each other. A word that I keep coming back to in describing The Plastic Eyes is "economical"; nothing feels overstuffed, and it feels clear to me that each member has an understanding of and is committed to doing what serves the song as a whole. Pedro's bass playing makes for a strong foundation for the instrumental landscape of each track, Isaac's drumming provides a solid, driving rhythm complete with fun spot cues and moments of rhythmic variation that the rest of the band follows to a tee, and Tomas's guitar work is neatly layered and performed with focused precision. The spirit of the 1970s absolutely shines through, and the band has definitely captured the heart and soul of the music of this period to create something that feels like a faithful tribute borne out of genuine artistic respect and love. The main thing I wish for is that The Plastic Eyes take their '70s sensibilities and use them as the jumping-off point for new, exciting, and innovative sounds as they forge their own distinct artistic path. Whatever that looks like, I'll be very excited to see what The Plastic Eyes do next, and I'm certain their next project will be truly something wonderful to behold!

Personal enjoyment score: 7.5 out of 10

Standout tracks: "Next Day's Diary" was my personal favorite, but all three tracks deserve a listen.