Ray Tracer - TheFatRat

The good: Remember hearing "Unity" on all those shitty 2016 Youtube montages? TheFatRat may have moved away from that sound for a few years, but it's time for a reprise. "Ray Tracer" is by all means a serviceable EP. It's got bounciness, it's got trademark TheFatRat lead stylistics, and it's got those old-school glitch hop vibes that invoke so much nostalgia. The atmospheres are, as they have been throughout all his styles, slightly ethereal and slightly laid-back, so as to not be expansive or immersive but attention-grabbing, and even the vocal feature on the title track is mixed in a way that continues to bring back memories. It's clear that TheFatRat has not lost his touch for this sound, nor has he lost his charm, even after all these years.

The bad: Unforunately, I fear that TheFatRat may have revisited this style a little too late. In today's scene, it feels quite dated, and whilst the burst of nostalgia is great to have, "Ray Tracer" lacks replayability. And, as a result, it does get a little boring, and fails to find its own niche in the modern electronic landscape outside of pure nostalgia. It's a solid tracklist, but a little belated.