released January 1, 2025

Hyroglifics - Senseless EP Review

man. this one hit me sideways. Senseless EP by Hyroglifics - yeah, the guy's real name is Matt Harris, but who cares when the beats slap like this? dropped back in 2012, and somehow it still feels like it crawled outta a damp basement rave last week. gritty, urgent, kinda unhinged in the best way. i wasn't ready. first track, "Annodam" - opens like someone kicked in the door of a warehouse party. no warning. just bassline growling under skittering hi-hats and these weird, glitchy stabs that feel like they're poking you in the ribs. it's messy. but the good messy. like when you trip over your own feet dancing and somehow end up looking cooler. i kept rewinding the first 30 seconds just to feel that drop again. dumb? maybe. worth it? absolutely. then "Senseless ft. Peta Oneir" - okay, vocals. didn't expect that. Peta's voice is all smoky and half-asleep, floating over this churning dnb rhythm that refuses to sit still. it's moody. kinda sexy. kinda sad. kinda everything at once. the contrast works - her calm against Hyro's chaos. i kept thinking, "this shouldn't fit... but damn, it does." production's thick, layered. you can hear tape hiss if you listen close. or maybe i'm imagining it. either way, it adds texture. makes it feel alive. "Grow" - longest track here. five and a half minutes of slow-burn tension. starts minimal. almost ambient. then the drums creep in like footsteps behind you at 3am. by minute three, it's full throttle - distorted kicks, snares snapping like bones, synths screaming in the background. it doesn't grow so much as mutate. and i'm here for it. feels like the soundtrack to a panic attack that somehow ends in euphoria. weird flex, but i felt cleansed after. last track, "Senseless" - no vocals this time. just pure, uncut Hyroglifics. darker. heavier. more industrial. like if a robot learned to drum & bass and then got pissed off at its creator. the bassline's got teeth. the percussion's got claws. and that breakdown around 3:10? pure evil genius. i actually paused it and stared at the wall for a minute. didn't know what to do with myself. what didn't work? honestly? not much. if i'm nitpicking - maybe "Grow" overstays its welcome by like 30 seconds. or maybe the transitions between tracks could've been smoother. sometimes it feels like you're getting shoved from one vibe to another with no warning. but that might be the point. this ain't background music. it's a shove in the chest. a wake-up call. also - cover art? kinda forgettable. just some glitchy letters. doesn't match the chaos inside. should've been something grimy. something that stains your fingers when you touch it. overall? 4 stars feels right. not perfect. but perfect ain't what this is going for. this is sweat, bass, and bad decisions. it's the sound of someone making music because they need to, not because they're trying to please a crowd. raw. unapologetic. alive. funny thing - after listening to this on repeat for two days straight, i tried to explain it to my roommate. said something like, "it's like if Aphex Twin and a broken washing machine had a baby in a rave tent." he stared at me. didn't get it. fair. you kinda had to be there. or maybe you just gotta be a little senseless yourself to get it. and maybe... that's the whole point.

Senseless EP by Hyroglifics related albums

1. Noisia - Split The Atom
2. Pendulum - Hold Your Colour
3. Black Sun Empire - From The Shadows
4. Mefjus - Alpha
5. Camo & Krooked - Cross The Line yo, if you're still vibin' after these, your speakers might need a break... or a beer.