Neurocomputer - Skellytn

Skellytn, with her debut album, tries to make her mark on the drum n bass scene with a very dense record.

"Neurocomputer" is indeed a very dense record. Dense not only in that it's rather short, compacting lots of sonic mass into the small (for an LP) space of just 30 minutes — but also in that Skellytn's neuro basslines are thick and heavy-handed. Opening with "Dystopia", the first movement of the project is filled with these strong basslines, gritty and driving; you'd be hard-pressed to find harder stuff in the modern neurofunk scene than this first half. Skellytn delivers hard and fast, proving her worth in the neuro style, creating a devastatingly potent one-two combo of concentrated basslines and quick DnB beatwork, all wrapped up with the apt machine-like themeing of a computer. "Neurocomputer" homes in on an intense sound, but it doesn't fail to supplement its digitized themeing along the way — themeing perhaps undermined by some of the sampling choices or other elements, but themeing nonetheless. The second movement of the album (only the last three tracks) is arguably equally strong, switching the grating neurofunk out for a more liquid-infused production, alongside a nice funky changeup in "Disassociate". I'll admit, I think Skellytn seems to be more adept in the former, grittier style, but this switch for the final few tracks is still well-produced and polished enough that everything here is still quite good quality-wise. The tracks themselves are not where the problems stem from. No, those rest wholly in the album's structure. Skellytn struggles to blend the two sides of the coin together in a cohesive manner, and "Neurocomputer" feels disjointed as a result. There isn't any glue given to sticking these two halves together, with the switch being sudden and half-hearted — no clear indication is given by the sound, nor the structure itself, and so the change kind of just happens. Perhaps this could be overlooked, but it's exacerbated by the album's length. 30 minutes is, although on the shorter side, still tolerable, and yet it doesn't give "Neurocomputer" enough time to justify its switchup and expand upon both sides of the project.

There is some heat on this record. There is some decent themeing, some slamming basslines, and some really promising intensity. There's also that cleaner, chiller backsection. But there's very few of the qualities that make "Neurocomputer" feel like an album. Still, whilst it may struggle, Skellytn sure seems like she's poised to make waves in the modern neuro scene.