Sunk Cost Fallacy (Fox Stevenson)

A sophomore album races into the sunset, with the evergreen vocalist and fresh drum n bass producer Fox Stevenson at the wheel.

It'd be an understatement to say that Fox Stevenson has been making waves in the scene as of recent, for his unabashedly fun take on the sheer energy of dancefloor drum n bass, dashed with elements of indie pop and pop-punk. It'd also be an understatement to say that Fox thoroughly deserves all the acclaim he's getting, something cemented by this new "Sunk Cost Fallacy" project. This is a project that capitalizes on a couple of high-riding years for the talent. And I have to commend "Sunk Cost Fallacy" for being a culmination of everything the Fox Stevenson alias has given us — airy, soaring leads; emotive, painfully relatable vocals; and pop-esque, highly replayable encasing around what is otherwise a very innovative project. Indeed, Fox Stevenson straddles the line between commercial and underground, bringing together typical verse-chorus structures and easy-to-digest songwriting with that technical, creative sound design edge inseparable from bass music circles. Bouncing between everything from his trademark drum n bass style to his equally strong, groovy house style, and even crossing over into some intriguing melodic dubstep cuts, "Sunk Cost Fallacy" is simply infectious across the board. Perhaps it becomes all the more infectious when you look beyond the catchy vocal hooks, too — "Sunk Cost Fallacy" is imbued with an undeniable emotion, undermined by seemingly upbeat tonality, and, occasionally, sheer ridiculousness. But Fox has got something to say, of course, and the result is almost an hour of frenzied leads masking an attractively rebellious cynicism, whether that be in his more commentary-on-society cuts like "Curtain Call", or his more contrite, gut-wrenching songs like "Exile Is A Habit". Throughout this entire project, Fox's voice dominates the soundstage, unapologetic yet regretful of everything, making mistakes and addressing friends in the 14-song-long tracklist this album provides, the range of which cannot be underestimated, particularly amidst the stylistic motifs that are handed to you on a platter. Astoundingly cohesive, yet diverse; impressively technical, yet replayable; packed with emotion, yet packed with creative production; and reinforced by a stellar vocal.

It's not Fox's strongest body of work, nor does it exploit the absolute zenith of his abilities, but "Sunk Cost Fallacy" is easily, as a holistic LP, his most complete project to date. That's the short of the long, really. This is a project that sort of just gives you everything you would want from it, no strings attached, no filler and no fluff. Dancefloor drum n bass is a typically commercial, stagnant genre, but Fox Stevenson's Midas-like fingers tap into its deepest potential, and out pops this record.