Following the brilliant lead single You Bleed Me, the full five track EP does not disappoint with its dark, eclectic, gothic beats.
EP: End ME
Producer: OWLS
Released: November 11 2022
Dance music, in its modern form, is typically categorised by the aspiration (or generic desperation) to fill a dance floor; usually, it’s led by a thumping bass and linear synth pattern, all congealing through a sleek, chart-pleasing production style. However, with their soon-to-be released EP End Me, OWLS delve into the intricacies and intelligence that the genre holds in many of its branches, opting for the haunting traits of techno and IDM.
While still sonically crafted with the same level of sleek precision as many renowned artists in the same lane, the distorted vocal stylings of OWLS deliver a sinister, jagged edge that dares to differentiate. And fortunately, this daring experimentalism is what characterises the EP: a dark outlet of emotive vigour partnered with an intentional grit that uniquely materialises their direction.
The freshly released lead single You Bleed Me boasts the most meticulously constructed of instrumentals here, underlined by the hard-hitting repetitive strain: “I'm in you, in your veins, you bleed me”, a tortured recital that haunts, submerged under a relentlessly throbbing 303 buzz.
Vocally, the performance slowly descends from imperative urgency into a relatively subtle murmur, before you are immediately reconfronted with that brilliantly abrasive, hasty synth shuffle. It’s an audacious output, to say the least, but the track’s consistently punctuating confidence undeniably cements it as successful.
This track, like others on the EP, finds sonic parallels to the masterfully crafted IDM workings of The Knife in the 2000s, sounding like a future facing, electronic heartbeat that refuses to let go of your anticipation. It’s a quality that music of such monumental atmospheric weight needs to possess to maintain vitality. But as we are constantly reminded, OWLS grasp that instantly, manufacturing tunes from the shadowy nests in which they reside, mastering a sound inspired by both horror and beauty alike. Take I Have No Heart: a dynamic construction of lucid melodies and particularly placed synths that bubble over with each instrumental addition, ultimately reaching boiling point with a laser laced climax.
It only takes one look at the track names to recognise the disturbing intent that OWLS choose to forefront. On top of the aforementioned tracks, Murder Doll and You Are Skeleton brim with a frightening eclecticism, burrowing into ominously shrouded electronic nooks.
Despite these traits, at the heart of such brutality lies the fundamental theme of obsessive, unrelenting love; a restless beast that comes to light every so often. It’s with this that OWLS convey their messages so well, unearthing each emotion with a signature, darkened dance soundscape. Undoubtedly, the rest of the EP is something to look forward to come November 11th, as OWLS continue to dominate their direction with an abundance of promise.
Other reviews
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and never miss out on gig info and our latest deals
Comments