There’s a consistent narrative in the cultural zeitgeist that young people have zero desire to drink, club, party, and go out at large. It’s an insight I hear incredibly often, but despite even seeing the numbers to back it up, I can confidently say that it’s largely false (or at least blown out of proportion). The truth is that we just can’t afford a damn thing, but the biggest tell that young people still crave to party is through music. Now more than ever we are witnessing the biggest resurgence of club-influenced dance music we’ve seen since 2008, and the things being pumped out by small artists blending timeless party atmosphere with modern experimental sound design are both works of modern art and easy indicators for what we all really want.

sheidA’s P.A.R.T.Y was a surprise gift from my release radar that is ticking every box I could ask for, plus 20 more I didn’t know were there. Fusing the time tested club dance format with heavily distorted synth basses and crazy glitched textures, it’s a project that spans an incredible variety of high energy moods over the course of its sub 11 minute run time. The intro track TakeItxxx throws us in immediately with stuttering vocal chops and a fuzzy white noise bass. It’s an intro to the project that comes out swinging, with it’s mean vocal tone that screams “I’m that bitch” (though I must digress I do not speak Japanese, so I’m at a loss for what’s actually being said), only to give way to a chorus that takes all the same sound design cues and sculpts them into something bouncier and more palpably excited. The energy is non-stop on this song in the way that it’s constantly morphing from one vibe to the next, all while having this huge and engulfing feeling with its careful balance of distortion that allows the vocals to cut through with clarity while still rattling your skull.

If the TakeItxxx is the equivalent of a manic night out with friends, the titular track P.A.R.T.Y is a house party destined for a noise complaint. When listening to songs I love to try and envision what the song would look like if it was a scene from a movie, and in this case it’s cut after cut of the drinks flowing and bodies moving. The kick pulse is a strong and consistent punch to the gut against the thick, technical bass synth, and the touch of hard clipping on the vocals pulls the mix together into wonderfully aggressive cohesion. It’s an instrumental that reminds me a bit of vi0let & wolfcut’s track MIRROR in the way it takes cues from traditional club music of decades past and pairs it to this modern era production edge and grime.

I’m a sucker for writing in threes, but it’s hard to pick a third on an EP where every single track hits on the level of this project. For the sake of variety though lets lock in on Until I Die. A trait that Until I Die and to a lesser extent it’s proceeding track have that I adore is the way it leads with something a little lighter before getting into the thick textures that make up the meat of the track. As a producer I’m such a sucker for the kind of metallic percussive leads that are used here. There’s something about the almost dainty feel of them that creates a magical and floaty atmosphere that is only made better by D3adStock’s ethereal vocal layers behind them. Something light and spacy like that would be great on its own, but the way it transitions into another completely unique bouncing club beat is pure art. The hook of this song is infectious, and as much as I know I keep fixating on bass synths I have to call out again how much heavy lifting it’s doing here to contribute to the immaculate vibe this song emanates.

I must confess, it’s not often a bilingual project can hook me the way this one has managed to. I’m a producer at heart but I still tend to stick to English-centric tracks just because I love to ruin my vocal cords screaming along during my commute. I think it speaks to the sheer quality of this project as a complete piece of work, as well as the individual performances and instrumental perfection, that I’ve totally fallen in love with this EP despite only understanding about a third of it and having no awareness of sheidA a mere 19 hours ago at the time of writing this. It plays to all my favourite trends in music right now, and truth be told there’s a small part of me that is dismayed by the fact that the odds of me hearing it in the environment it’s meant to be played in (would you believe me if I told you it’s a party just like the title?) are unlikely due to the fact that nobody is partying anymore, despite the fact that I think a lot of us really do want to. Putting that aside though, let’s end on a positive. I truly do think this is an opportunity to bring a bit of that nightlife to your day-to-day, and for that I’m nothing if not grateful and excited for how it’s going to boost my commute. So go playlist this one ASAP, it might just carry you through these cold winter months.