Background
With multiple releases on Disciple Recordings and 4 consecutive Beatport #1's under their belt, Barely Alive are no strangers to the EDM scene. The duo, whom apparently have yet to be named, got their start a little over a year ago with "Lost In The Internet EP," which was critically acclaimed and hit number one across various genres on Beatport. Today, Barely Alive released their debut EP, "We Are Barely Alive," through Disciple Recordings.
Review
Listen to "We Are Barely Alive"
For their self-titled debut album, Barely Alive left nothing on the table and delivered a high dosage of the medicinal heavy bass that's just what the doctor ordered. "Hackers (feat. Armanni Reign)" starts off the record strong with the slightly typical but never unwelcome growls, lasers, and melodic glitchy dubstep that features Armanni Reign's angry, rhythmic chanting. In a bit of an unusual switchup, "Binary" is pure trap goodness with strange, uncredited vocals chopped into oblivion sprinkled on top like, well, sprinkles. It's not my favorite, but I've always been a fan of the big acid synths in trap music anyway. It's still well produced, and there's a nice lead synth taking a solo in the middle. "Windpipe (feat. Ragga Twins)" knocks the air out of your lungs with Ragga Twin's aptly named reggae-style vocals over a wonky, twisting dubstep drop. "Rough and Rugged" is a mishmash blend of trap and electro and glitch hop and everything in between. Best part is, its a perfect blend; there are no rough transitions. I don't even know what "Stomp" is, but it's got enough lasers and filtered chords to make a sci-fi movie a very happy person. It's certainly a mystery as to what "The Riddler" is. I think it's a blend of moombahton and trap, but whatever Barely Alive was aiming for, its got a strong beat worthy of a dance floor. "Pooyoso (Take It Back)" is by all definitions weird, as it has a very eastern tonality and doesn't really fit into any defining genre. With that the first half of the album is done and Barely Alive breaks up all the bass music with a chiptune interlude with vocal chops of the album's title. "Over It" brings back the bass in a tasty glitch hop work full of jazz organs, swung beats and a hypnotic FM (likely) bass which bends pitch like it was born to do so. "Scoop" is an enigma of bass music, it's like glitch hop and trap had a strange bass child, but it's incredibly catchy. Coming straight out of the 80's is "Poison Dart" which imitates disco right from the start, but transitions perfectly into a mishmash of trap and something resembling hardstyle. I may be noticing a trend, but "Poison Dart" works perfectly, and it doesn't matter that its a bastard child of a whole bunch of genres. Luckily, "Fireflies (feat. Ewol and Espired)" is fairly straightforward genre-wise; it's a nice US-style drum and bass beat chock full of reese basses, growl basses, glitchy basses, and more. You name it, Barely Alive, Ewol, and Espired have already mastered it. "Elephant" is a dubstep wonderland with all the bass goodness expected of them. "No Time" closes out the album in a chill, serene atmosphere resembling a tech house infused misty wasteland. It caught me slightly off guard, but I love every second of it; the scene it depicts is vivid, and it's a perfect way to end the album.
Barely Alive, with their self-titled album, have hit the ground running, just as they did a year ago with their debut EP. "We Are Barely Alive" is a massive collection of bass music that screams "I don't know what I am, but I'm going to be as huge as possible doing it." Every track, bar the ones that seep dubstep, is a genre mash of bass music. From moombah to trap to dubstep to glitch hop to drum and bass and everything in between, "We Are Barely Alive" is a must-listen for anyone who thinks of themselves as a bass music fan. 8.5/10
Sources
Facebook | Barely Alive
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