Skrillex has been on a sonic journey, alright. The title of his long-awaited second album, ‘Quest For Fire’, displays the journey that Sonny Moore has ventured on within the decade for the reason that dubstep scene-leader dropped his game-changing ‘Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites’ EP in 2010. In the interval that adopted, he’s labored with everybody from Diplo and Justin Bieber to J Balvin and Ed Sheeran.
His debut album ‘Recess’ arrived in 2014, and whereas releases have been regular, a full assortment has been elusive. Created between LA and Japan over three years, this long-awaited second album is feverishly hyped, and he enlists megastars current and previous, as if to show his pop cultural influence isn’t any much less related than it was final time round.
Tapping into the TikTok-driven zeitgeist, PinkPantheress stars on drum’n’bass curler ‘Way Back’ whereas Moore groups up with Fred once more.. for ‘Rumble’, a brand new staple at Moore, Fred and Four Tet’s latest shock reside exhibits. First launched in May 2021, ‘Too Bizarre (Juked)’, which boasts a potent screamo verse from Siiickbrain, receives a sped-up makeover – clearly, Moore’s finger stays firmly on the heart beat.
Contrastingly, ‘Quest For Fire’ – which options 25 credited company throughout 15 tracks – typically channels nostalgia. Dubstep prominently options: the sub-bass-heavy ‘Tears’, a link-up with style pioneer Joker, and the skittering ‘Supersonic (my existence)’ keep true to Skrillex’s sonic origins. The breakbeat-driven ‘Good Space’, that includes rapper Starrah and dolphin-noise-synths, appears like what Skrillex and Diplo would make beneath their Jack Ü moniker in 2023.
The throwbacks proceed to come back thick and quick. There’s ‘Warped Tour ‘05 with Pete Wentz’ a time capsule referencing Moore’s time in post-hardcore band From First To Last. The 47-second interview-based interlude’s inclusion serves no discernible goal, apart from reminding the listener of his pre-Skrillex venture.
Moore packs disparate concepts into every monitor; retaining the listener guessing from every tune to the subsequent has lengthy been his USP. This is especially true of the explosive ‘Xena’, on which Palestinian singer Nai Barghouti’s ethereal vocals swoop over percussive claps, earlier than the monitor is spun again, remodeling right into a techno-paced exercise. But some songs, like opener ‘Leave Me Like This’ merely run out of steam. The submerged drop that follows the promising EDM-style development of Aluna collab ‘Inhale Exhale’ falls flat, particularly queued after ‘Butterflies’, a house-leaning collaboration with Four Tet.
By the album’s penultimate monitor, Moore acknowledges the breadth he’s lined in 45 minutes. “Almost there guys, sorry; another minute of this” he says firstly of the piano-based ‘Hazel’, looking for a second of stillness and calm amongst the noise.
Covering a lot floor (‘Hydrate’ even bridges dubstep and reggae) means the album lacks a transparent narrative or overarching theme. Perhaps that was Moore’s intention: to ship a set of genre-blending tracks that push issues ahead whereas succinctly showcasing his seemingly infinite versatility. Yet by fusing the previous, current – and as soon as once more setting a blueprint for the way forward for music – Skrillex’s standing in trendy music stays unchallenged.
Details
- Release date: February 17, 2023
- Record label: OWSLA / Atlantic Records
