COOKED (Teddy Killerz)

It's been 8 years since "Nightmare Street", but finally, we have the Teddy Killerz sophomore album, and this time, it feels like they're in full flow.

In fact, Teddy Killerz has been in full flow for a while now, having arguably one of the best two-year runs of any artist in the bass music scene with an arsenal of incredibly creative ideas and quality execution to match. It makes sense, then, that they capitalized on their exponentially growing prowess to deliver their second album, and boy, is this several notches up from their debut. The biggest difference is that "COOKED" actually feels refined in every sense of the word. This time, the Russian neurofunk trio brings cohesive ideas and crafts well-made, stylistically rich tracks that swing carefree over the different stages of a rave — and though it lacks narrative cohesion as a holistic project, that stylistic cohesion is enough to bring a sense of continuity throughout. Simply put, "COOKED" is a ton of fun. Spreading itself across the drum n bass spectrum, from powerful neurofunk bangers to melody-driven, brighter cuts, this project isn't afraid to pull out a creative idea or a crazy lead to expand its horizons — this project is not only refined stylistically, then, but also brings out refined ideas. And Teddy Killerz don't skimp out on refined production either, with everything here having clean execution both amongst the melodic parts and the heavier parts, bringing together some of the most popular rave drum n bass tropes and expanding upon them in ways only Teddy Killerz can find. This overall sense of refinement is the main thing that brings this project so far above "Nightmare Street", yes, but I also can't deny that Teddy Killerz have simply just produced a really good album even outside the cage of comparison. "COOKED" is simply meant to be a good time, and, with an array of goofy ideas and powerful basslines — like "Mom I Am Going To Rave" or "We Love Drum & Bass" — it strikes straight and true at the energy of a rave, an energy you can feel even through mere headphones at home, and that's arguably what makes it so powerful. This is the essence of festival drum n bass distilled into its silliest yet most conceptual form and bottled up into a 14 track album, welding together forward-thinking production with proficient songwriting and plenty of diversity within the genre, all with the ultimate goal of having a ton of fun.

So yes, Teddy Killerz continue to push the boundaries of drum n bass on a large scale. Though this album isn't as innovative as some of their earlier singles, it's still a very good exploration of the ideas this Russian trio has to offer, much better than their debut album by quite the margin. "COOKED" is, behind its slightly ridiculous themeing, a reshaping of their drum n bass style that combines familiar elements with an ever-expanding novelty.