(ORIGINALLY POSTED ON DEC 8, 2024 ON AOTY)
i think this has got to be my favorite album of 2024.
the brostep nostalgia journey this thing takes you is a behemoth to behold. from its very lush and bit-crushed low moments, to the wild, zany, and overwhelming drops it presents keeps me hooked. from the very start with "Can you keep up?" it shows its face immediately with a beautiful and quiet drone until it rises into something you couldnt imagine the song becoming with its loud bass synth and plucky arpeggios. then the drop kicks in. the loud, distorted mess leaves none alive and is a representation of things to come.
the following track "ILUUUU" is tamer by comparison but still hits like a brick with its incredible melody and the start of the "DOPE1" motif that plays on parts of the album before the bass hits of the riddim chorus hits your ears. syzy's choice of synth on these drops feels so jaw-dropping bc it feels insane to even consider these sounds to make fun or engaging but somehow, even with the distortion and noise surrounding you, the beat commands you to bounce your head to every kick and snare.
"Get a grip!" is one of the biggest throwback tracks on the project and how it forms its rise to drop is something else. the clapping works so good as a silencer before the bass hits. but my god the 2nd half of the track has to be talked about. goofy as all hell, yet syzy and neonix makes me smile with how many nostalgic saws and waves ive heard on this later drop. ends in such a face-melter and noise wall before the next track.
"In your face!" is solid as a middle ground between the two tracks its paired up with. if you were to try to get into brostep or riddim in any capacity, this will absolutely do its job.
"HEART123" is incredible. one of the few 110/110 tracks on this album, this deserves a listen by any person who has not heard of any future riddim until now. the refrain of "you wear your heart on a short sleeve, i can see it in your eyes, i know you want me" is so heavenly and the synths that lace into the drop feel like candy to ears with how confident and gummy they sound. syzy and kmoe really put everything they had into this track and it shows.
and it continues its beautiful and heavy ride with "Take my energy!" oh my FUCKING GOD!!! this anthem gives me goosebumps every time its hits hit bass notes. the vocals during its latter half drops feel like euphoria vibrating into your head. but before those drops you have to endure the emotional highs of the arpeggios during the intro and the KEY CHANGE!!!! it all leads into the pre-chorus of a synth coming out of a broken radio from an future that left it behind before it flowers into the main lead of its drop. if i have to recommend any track to listen to first, it WILL NOT be this one bc you have to hear it in context surrounding this incredible landscape syzy has produced.
"Caught up (in circles)" by comparison, is a fine lead from the last track into the next. rapid and plucky, its standard by most who keep in touch with the EDM circle, but its not something to throw away. it also leads into my favorite song on the entire thing.
"Experience (HIGHER)" is an odd track bc its first half is an incredible tearout example with what i can only assume is another nostalgic synth hit as every drop finishes their 14 or 15-measure chorus. however, the song then expands into a collage of noise and drones almost finishing the album on final notes of the landscape this project created before going into the final track.
"Dancing on my own" serves as the closer with hints of what EDM is becoming as it transitions into pop and more modern flavors, most notably, bubblegum bass. its very light compared to the rest of the track list but the lead melodies and final sounds of bass, piano, and syzy typing in notes into their phone and leaving it on a surface really makes this experience satisfying.
its my AOTY for many reasons, but mainly as a point where EDM as a genre can really grow and find itself among its pop and rock contemporaries. if you need a good example of what EDM can produce, this is now one of the many projects where art can blossom in any genre, even something as noisy and obtuse as brostep, riddim, and future bass.
