6arelyhuman and Asteria return with a high-voltage EP called "Cute Songs For Gangsters." Love letters to the raw grit of the Myspace era, this five-track release aims for the schink of early 2000s artists like Kesha, Skrillex, and Lady Gaga, reshaping hyper pop with an angular, futuristic voice.
The duo makes it known there is no slowing down from the first track, "BLOODBATH." An unyielding anthem of excess, "BLOODBATH" marries aggressive electronic production with spitfire lyricism. 6arelyhuman makes a point of slamming on the brakes. "I'm a do what I want, so get lost or get with it," he intones, while Asteria replies with sharp, tongue-in-cheek bravado. Its ethos is rebellion, and every pulse of the track screams it, making this an ideal soundscape for an evening teetering on bad decisions.
The wowing moment comes with "RED MERCEDES," a sample-slathered whirlwind with one foot in the genre and the other in video game sampling, haunting synths, and heart-thumping beats. 6arelyhuman wavers between anxiety and self-destruction, admitting, "Lately I've been so close to a heart attack," while asking if the madness is even worth it. "RED MERCEDES" stark introspection slathered in spark-plug production embodies the spirit of the current digital-punk zeitgeist.
For lovers of raw emotion and sonic pyrotechnics, "FADE AWAY" is a hypnotic, bittersweet diamond in the rough to give a haunting offset to an otherwise mad, rip-snorting EP. With "Cute Songs For Gangsters," 6arelyhuman, and Asteria show, they're charting its next era. Old Style: Ready to crank that volume up.