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In this exclusive Music Mondays article, Rei Low dives deep into the latest midwxst release "Back In Action 3.0". Covering everything from artistic range and the future of midwxst, don't miss this overview of a project you cannot ignore.
9/23/22
midwxst has been making piles of new music and comes into his own in Back in Action 3. BIA 2 is a digicore project in the same vein of ericdoa, aldn, and glaive, and when I saw all of them on tour, I understood why they stuck together- birds of a feather etc. However, midwxst made a turn away from his traditional sound in BIA 3.
The front half of the album is audibly clipped, and traditionally digital distortion is not as ‘warm’ or pleasing as analog saturation. That being said, the digital clipping really gives the first section of the album a DIY, almost tread sound, and midwxst’s voice is pretty balanced among the choked out high hats and overpowering bass. VVSPipes styled melodies of the past are stark, with maybe some synth lines poking through the 808’s upper harmonics.
midwxst also has learned how to fry scream a little bit or at least there is definitely some grit and anger behind the flows. He flexes some punchline writing on 223’s with the current reigning champ of double entendres: Babytron. This is the first highlight for the album, and Tron’s laidback slithering flow contrasted with midwxst’s bouncy swag makes for a great hook for the whole project. This next moment, for me, was Infantry and No Trace, but let's backtrack a moment to see how we got there.
On BIA 3, there’s a balance between melodic flows, rage beats, and clipping 808s. The real meat of the project is midwxst talking shit over digital hellfire the first five or six tracks. But tracks six and seven are a blend of passionate flows and the aforementioned soundscapes. This is a really fun sound to me, and it feels like an alternate universe where Ken Carson is actually good. There is a clear Opium influence on the new album, and midwxst beats Ken and Lone at their own game, at least with respect to the new releases. I am not saying it is better than Whole Lotta Red, but BIA 3 is more adventurous and bold than No Stylist and X.
ericdoa definitely laid down the digicore blueprint with COA, but midwxst is experimenting with the form and blending it with Will Crooks styled clipping and passionate flows. He’s developing his new sound in an oversaturated genre full of his aesthetic children.
Stream Back In Action 3.0: midwxst.lnk.to/BIA3
Follow midwxst: twitter.com/midwxst
Written By Rei Low: https://twitter.com/_rocktimist
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