SOMA

It doesn't command as much respect, or garner as much cultural attention, as some of his other works - still, SOMA sounds, to some degree, fresh.

Through his five studio albums (not counting last year's mixtape) Skrillex has proved himself to be a deceptively versatile producer. Recess was his debut, and it was distinguishably brostep-driven, with hints of alternative sounds peeking through the enthusiastic style that made his career. Next was the Diplo collaboration of Jack Ü, and it proved that Skrillex was just as comfortable within pop music, a fact that the mainstream happily ate up with the Bieber hit and then proceeded to ignore. Quest For Fire came nearly a decade later, exemplifying an aggressive yet clean style of hybrid trap and UK dubstep that was far-removed from the alien brostep sounds of Recess; then, a day later, Don't Get Too Close would be Skrillex's solo pop statement and another nod to his ability to work outside the energy of a rave. It seems only natural, then, that SOMA would be next in line for another tenable swap in style, and, indeed, it is.

SOMA almost seems like a dip into the up-and-coming Latin dance scene. Skrillex, ever the rogue, partners with the likes of ANITA B QUEEN, Feid, Young Miko and TAICHU (amongst others) in pursuit of these sounds - they seem to, at least on the surface, partner with his core sound (or what that core sound has evolved into) well. The presence of this in the vocals is certainly prominent, such as in "Noche Without You" or "Pente Rala", but the influence in the production is not understated - you only need to look as far as the second track, "Thistle", with its baile funk breakdowns, to hear these.

He also strays into a fair variety of other genres. SOMA, compared to his more sober albums of 2023, does not acquiese with the maturity that Skrillex had seemed to have developed as a producer, perhaps in the wake of the ridiculously brilliant FUS - its carefree nature is certainly a refreshing quality, almost as a nod to the youthful Recess and the brostep before it, in juxtaposition with the more meticulous and sharp (though nevertheless highly energetic) sounds of Quest For Fire. It strikes deals with hardgroove techno, with UK garage and breakbeat, with some big meaty trap and a couple of particularly disruptive bass cuts.

On the whole the variety ends up being rather mixed. The record does bring forth an effervescent nature, but where it becomes more restrained is where it suffers. The interplay of Robert Miles' "Children" on "Noche Without You" doesn't quite lend itself to anything past novelty, whilst Chris Lake's tech house on "É o Bonde" doesn't quite lend itself to anything at all. Meanwhile, the beatless, fluttery sound design present on "Cheeni" and "La Noche 2" is a rehash of the production signature of his Kora EP earlier in the year, and though it's clearly well-produced (in honesty, these are two very strong tracks, and Skrillex's ambient style should not be underestimated) they feel a little directionless in the broader context of the album.

Perhaps unsurprisingly (depending on whom you ask) the bass-music-leaning tracks are where SOMA truly shines. Opening with the eponymous Nitepunk collaboration is far-and-away the strongest moment of the record, in its deep rumbling basslines and powerful production that hits you right in the chest. In this the record seems to be rather frontloaded - just past the title track come collaborations with prodigies Blawan and ISOxo, scoring two more crowning moments that grapple with each other, with the heavy-handed "Tranki" sitting squarely between them. "Scut 2" with rom is next in the chamber in this regard, a jungle revision of the original briddim ID, with "Pente Rala", as well as another ISOxo collab in "Anybody", still remaining in the barrel. These highlights pepper the opening, but, afterwards, are sparsely laid, and yet they seem to be where SOMA truly rears its hind legs in competition with Skrillex's other albums. That's not to say that the other tracks are weak by any means, but the alternative sounds simply don't sound as compelling as the sharper ones.

Nevertheless these bass sounds remain alternative. The jungle/breaks sound of "Thistle", for instance, isn't quite like anything Skrillex has done in the past, particularly with Blawan's off-kilter industrial growling everpresent in the background. The experimental sounds are in keeping with the album's groove, and in fact the bass tracks often find themselves more experimental than, for instance, the ones that rely heavily on Latin influence. Indeed, the four-on-the-floor rhythms - the house, the techno - of much of the surrounding tracks have already been heard in Skrillex's previous works, and are not particularly engaging to hear again. There's a balance to be struck, though. The finale "Diwali", in all its gimmicky glory, proves it - Naisha's vocal and the choppy beat feel authentic and amusing, but the cut is entirely unpalatable and completely devoid of replay value. These aren't necessarily negative traits, yet they don't quite make sense as a sendoff to SOMA, an album that relies on its replay value for its clubby aesthetic to have any staying power.

Ultimately SOMA doesn't compete on the same playing field as, for instance, a Quest For Fire does. It's certainly not Skrillex's strongest work, on account of not being as consistently compelling as said strongest works, and SOMA understands that it can get repetitive at times. The low points of the record feel like a tarnish on Skrillex's needle-moving legacy, but its high points will have no problems existing at the forefront of his modern style - the amplitude of SOMA, in this sense, is too large to call it an intrinsically strong album, but it is simultaneously harsh to call it a poor one, though that may be tempting considering Skrillex's legacy.