Written by Anika Maculangan As digicore begins to rise above its niche alcove with more artists like quinn, ericdoa, and blackwinterwells are starting to take on the genre. In surgery, orteus rides on the wave of Silent Hill’s aesthetic of liminal decay, implementing grunge tonalities that complement those glitchy overtones, we so often hear in hyperpop. While the thematic elements are depressing, dark, and bleak, fast-paced drum loops and maximalist synth lines counteract the gloominess that is rather highlighted, creating reactions that are antithetical to one another, but somehow complementary. Jam-packed with strong distortion and vocaloid, it’s almost eerie and unsettling to hear such distressing lyrics accompanied by such sweet instrumentals. But isn’t that the point of ‘eyestraincore’? Be vastly chaotic? Much like the internet, these facets are deliberately made to be in opposition to one another in hopes of creating that purposeful clash. With atmospheric qualities that are in reference to medical diction, layers of deep bass and snappy percussion, these elements amplify the depth, which allude to such concepts of artificiality and post-dystopia. In surgery, orteus collaborates with other artists, who mostly become evident in the treatment of vocals — some scaling from high-pitched, to more ‘soundcloud rap’ adjacent. This range among the tracks orchestrates a sense of diversity, which ensures that the flow doesn’t remain too monotonous to the standard rhythmic chops of 808s and pixelated effectors. Looking at songs like “you can’t just wait to be in a coma”, which have words that start to mish-mash into one another, the auditory mayhem is most recognizable, practically wreaking havoc on our ears, but in a fashion that’s considerably inspired and expressive. Incorporating these exaggerated motifs, while including such features as pronounced auto-tune and emphasis on trap-like inflections, the EP fits in well with the rest of the genre’s offerings. It isn’t inherently anything new or fresh, for its recycling of overused processes and manipulations within digicore, but it does take after the movement successfully, and guarantees that it treats it with respect. However, it goes without saying that the EP is more reflective of nightcore and crunkcore, especially since it focuses so much on steampunk-derived sensibilities. But one can wish that digicore projects may eventually try to be more daring in their progression as they evolve, since the whole point is to essentially employ a new approach to pop music. What bold nature would there be if we stick to the same accents? orteus could make do with further amplifying their usage of certain characteristics like the sharpening of reverb or application of intentional static in specific breaks. These are all modes of execution that, if better utilized, could make their sound more sonically creative. However, orteus was able to demonstrate a slight edge to her music: the abrupt pauses in between the tracklist. These random bouts of open air instigate a pause that leaves the listener cautious of when the next abrasive but dreamy beat may drop. Going through the album, the listener is constantly presented with an extensive span of oscillations. Although with a new digicore artist, there is always more potential and possibility for inventive patterns that either modify or disrupt the pre-existing. Support the art and the artist:
Tag: Digicore
EP REVIEW: vice* – syzygy
Written by Elijah P. Electronic artist and singer-songwriter vice* laces together the heartaches of emo-rap and the intricacies of glitch pop into a neatly tied debut EP. In a world where the Lil Peeps and Wicca Phase Spring Eternals have shifted into heavier and denser material, there exists a younger and fresh breed of producers hopping on the stepping stones of the aforementioned artists, and vice* is one of those fresh artists alley-ooping themselves to the grander playing field. In debut EP “syzygy”, the 6-track project constantly builds a world of its own; it finds itself deconstructed, intentionally self-destructing and implodes everywhere. But the end result is it finds a place to fall sprucely. The possibilities of this project falling under banal, predictable pacing and lyrics are slim. There’s potent pop writing to be found in “syzygy”; In “hit me!”, trance and math-rock chords find themselves in constant harmony with each other while “takeUdown” forces the shattering, glitchy, frying pan percussions to shine among the poppy hooks. “inner me” showcases a more straightforward, lesser noise in the forefront but capitalizing on melodic writing at the combat zone. If you think about it carefully, for the project to escape the monotony of emo-rap and its cliches, vice* opens a new window of possibility in terms of blending emotive vocals through explosive, maximalist production. vice* can range from distressing to level-headed delivery, the production does most of the talking. Prancing past the familiarity of what emo-pop and emo-rap did during the mid 2010s Soundcloud explosion, vice* knows how to structure a full-length release from its hyper highs to its emotionally-charged tamer back half. The first half of the project has found its comfort zone, linking together genre labels and ultimately liquifying those same labels, forging into something groundbreaking in the end. From front to back, vice* has a unit behind him that’s supported him from the very start, eventually creating a sonically rich project that can possibly stand the test of time. With vice* being in the 2020s, there’s a balance in the world of experimental pop and hip-hop. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST:
TRACK REVIEW: RB Slatt – TAHLA
Written by Elijah P. Flying cars, anime transitions, a jersey club drum pattern and a melody ripped from a Kid Laroi track, Caloocan’s very own RB Slatt is building a world never heard before in the Northside in EIGHTEEN’s most outstanding offerings titled “TAHLA”. As close followers and homeboys claim their sound to be “hyperpop”, it’s almost unfair to box them right in the umbrella term. As RB Slatt covers a wide array of multi-fx and cross-dimensional beat switches, they surprisingly come out more cohesive than opting for a hodgepodge of digicore nonsense. Previously enabling the emo-rap of the late 2010s, RB Slatt smoothly transitions to the bitcrushed, rock-n-rolla of the internet age of the 2020s with aesthetics that call for a futuristic and almost self-destructive sonic direction in both production and vocal delivery. “TAHLA” rallies behind RB Slatt’s newly found musical identity, supporting a grander, more possible pathway for rappers to partake in this untapped, almost idle landscape of production style. But with the existence of the emotive rap acting as a precursor to RB Slatt’s chosen subgenre, he effectively capitalizes on the delivery as if to complement its salted wounds of a nasty breakup. There’s potency to vocal prowess in louder, much more chaotic instrumental, and RB Slatt slightly masters that skill in “TAHLA”. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST: