Will Rivitz reveals us all as The Brostep Jukebox…
[Video][Website]
[7.50]
Will Rivitz: This is what dubstep should sound like in 2017. The previously-reigning shades of bro-ey maximalism have died out of the public consciousness, but their tendrils still remain, and josh pan reshapes and reforms a few of them into this positively writhing masterclass in dancefloor manipulation. Abra, who has killed every single one of her features this year (go listen to “Drugs” if you haven’t yet), doesn’t disappoint here, chunky slabs of 808 undergirding her slinkily misanthropic verses while the amorphous conglomerate of producers behind her toss all kinds of wails and bellows into the melting pot behind her. “give it to ya” is a nightmarish beast, the kind of tune that only really comes out to skulk after midnight — I can almost hear it melting into a puddle of pure malice as Abra’s hypnotic “yeahs” in the chorus ensconce themselves in higher and higher registers. It’s gorgeous and horrifying, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
[9]
Will Adams: How to make dubstep sound fresh in 2017: emulate, even the slightest bit, the cadence and off-the-wall sonics of “Independent Women, Pt. II.”
[7]
Nortey Dowuona: Pumping drums, glitching, brassy bass, slick synth stabs and heavy yet nimble crooning from Abra.
[7]
Brad Shoup: Abra has the nimbleness of Aaliyah, but with a desperate freestyle edge. Josh Pan’s production encircles her with fire: drops and beds that crackle, hits that pop off like magnesium flashes. It’s the latter that’s the emotional high point; she rides its aftermath like it’s a Timbaland outro.
[7]
Katherine St Asaph: Like an attempt to totally flunk one of those calls for pop songs that end up as background interstitial music. Maybe a little like this: “Production should be tasteful, with absolutely no brostep, airhorns, and any connections to Skrillex bumped at least to page two of the resume. Vocals should be restrained, polished, generally on key. Spoken word is a hard sell. Don’t, like, compare yourself to a lamp.” We’ve all presumably heard the Most Wanted vs. Unwanted Songs; we know how this turns out.
[8]
Ian Mathers: If you had just told me one of the possibilities for whatever we’re calling “dubstep” (I mean, at least “emo” seems to have settled on a set of signifiers at some point) was a more BPM-aggressive version of mid-to-late period Massive Attack I would have already been on board.
[8]
Ryo Miyauchi: It’s a questionable choice to bring in someone like Abra, who fills her own place in a vacant room rather than let the moving parts of Josh Pan’s busy, sentient kitchen-sink dubstep guide her. What saves it is the slithering production that provides the base.
[6]
Iain Mew: The brostep Katy B track I didn’t realise I wanted.
[8]