Every now and then, a catchy new trend hits the music scene and sticks onto the charts for weeks on end – just like that piece of bubblegum you can’t seem to remove from your shoe. Remember how you couldn’t get into a car or walk into a party this past summer without hearing that eternal line: “But first, lemme take a selfie”? Yeah, we all know that song, and let’s not pretend that we didn’t jam along to it (because it’s the story of our lives). The Chainsmokers may have earned a spot on my list of favorite EDM DJs ever since, but they are certainly not the first electronic duo to create a radio hit with a resounding catchphrase that tech-savvy girls from our generation can identify with. Let’s turn back the clock two years into the past. Do you remember where this song lyric is from?
“You blocked me on Facebook, and now, you’re going to die.”
If you guessed Internet Friends by Knife Party, you’re totally right, and here’s a cookie for you because this is where it gets exciting: their new EP, Abandon Ship, just set sail on ITunes 3 weeks earlier than its intended release date. Fans of the talented duo are going to love their madcap mix which showcases a series of tunes that ranges from their old-school ear-thumping rave beats to upbeat house music, to slower experimental rhythms with beat-drops reminiscent of Skrillex’s recent “Recess” album. Abandon Ship is a slight departure from Knife Party’s previous hardcore releases like “Rage Valley” and “Bonfire”, but that doesn’t mean that they’ve lost their touch in bringing the fist-pumping fun to the dancefloor. The whole album is tailored as such so that I can imagine them playing it from start to finish as an entire set of a concert. If that doesn’t make sense, let me give you a couple of examples of how I’d imagine the sequence of their next show.
“Resistance” has all the elements of a song I can envision being played as an opener – it’s upbeat, fast-paced and makes me want to bounce in the front row of the mosh pit in glow-in-the-dark shades and neon spandex with hundreds of people. My favorite part is when the music escalates and then you have that interlude where you hear “This is a knife”, before the beat plummets and erupts into a turbulent sequence of pounding electronics. I’m adding this one to my high-octane cardio workout playlist, by the way.
A less outrageous track, “Boss Mode”, steers the dircction of the album towards dubstep with an exotic twist. The chorus hits you hard with its Arabic inspired vibe that is sure to get your head bopping in a trance. I’d say that this is my pick for the most refreshing Knife Party tune to date, and I would like to see how they develop this kind of sound in their future productions
Now, I’m all about artists returning to their roots, and “Red Dawn” sounds like a classic Knife Party track that I can truly appreciate. It’s a combination of “Boss Mode” and “Destroy Them With Lazers” to create an EDM set staple. I was starting to think that Arabic rhythms in mainstream music were the new black for a while, and the duo is definitely trying to incorporate that trend into their latest releases.
Abandon Ship is not perfect, in spite of the hits it has chalked up so far. The tracks sound somewhat disjointed at times, like “404”, which yeah, I understand is supposed to mimic running into an internet crisis, but was simply too complicated for my taste. If you have listened to Knife Party before this, however, you would expect this and know that their music is not for the faint of heart. Their sound has evolved to become more unique since their last EP, and I can see them taking the electronic/house genre to new heights if they continue what they’re doing. To be honest, as long as they keep on producing tracks that sets my heart racing and my endorphin levels soaring, I’m all about staying on board.