I believe it was Abraham Lincoln who said, “if your bass bumps hard enough, they will come”, and any time I hear an Intentions project it’s an inspirational quote that comes to mind. Sound design is an artform within production that many dabble in, but few truly master in the way this Michigan man with the Big Bag™ has. With every new track the ways he bends synths to his whims and desires seems to constantly reach new lengths. So obviously, with a new 3 track EP comes so many insane soundscapes to soak in. https while only being 3 tracks is a phenomenal experience front to back, treating us to more of Intentions’ signature thick bass lines, glitched up synths, and vocals run through a layer of I would gamble no less than 7 effects. Personally, as a listener, that “initial journey” and listen is such an important part to me, and while it would be so easy to do full breakdowns on each one, I’d actually much rather give you a quick taste as to not spoil the experience. With that said, let’s talk about jukkou suru.

Translating from Japanese to mean “To carry out, implement, execute, or perform”, jukkou suru is the second of three tracks comprising https, but it’s certainly no middle child. Off the bat we’re greeted with a vibe that is coated in grit, attitude, and low-end fuzz. It’s a mean as hell vibe to walk into for a song that at its core is about a relationship. There’s this menacing aura to the whole thing, so needless to say I did not expect what came next to be a pulsing lead synth reminiscent of some iconic early Flume hits. With that said, this is not a glitzy future club track by any means, as while this synth line does tone down the intimidation factor a tad, this track consistently walks that thin line of controlled chaos. While it may have these clean synth stabs, it still has a free-flowing bass line coated in distortion fuzz. While the drums may have this simplistic bounce to them, there’s still a lead synth that thinks it’s a Van Halen guitar solo. It’s these constant production dichotomies that make the track so sonically interesting and unlike anything I’ve ever heard. While experimentation is a dime a dozen, molding those cutting edge ideas into something with flow, cohesion, and “I’m that bitch” sheen is a mountainous task that Intentions flaunts like nothing here.

On the note of experimental choices, I’d be horribly amiss to not mention the insane progressive key change work that happens in the lead-up to the second chorus. A progressive key change (one where you can hear the track shift semitone by semitone) isn’t a new concept but it’s certainly not a common choice to make. Common be damned though, as halfway through jukkou suru paired with incredibly staccato vocal syllables and some choppy LFO modulation the song brings us higher and higher, creating this palpable tension that builds up to a climactic release before transitioning back into the chorus. It’s pure art the way this section is executed. This moment in the track feels so intentionally wonky, but in an incredibly appealing way. On first listen it’s a shock to the system (because why on earth would I have been expecting something like that), but by the time the section is over I just sat there in awe of what I just heard, and that doesn’t happen very often.

Intentions is a man of many sounds. The first time I was introduced to his work I to be perfectly honest wasn’t sure it was for me, because there’s so much range in both the lengths it will push boundaries, and how serious it takes itself while doing it. If your first introduction is a hyperpop track with some shit post energy it’s very possible that if that’s not your vibe you could make the unfortunate choice to move on before delving into the rest of his catalogue, but that would be doing a huge disservice to the intense range of his body of work. https as a whole is an incredible project that deconstructs the rules of music production and pastes them back together like a ransom note, and to be blunt, it’s cool as hell. From its opening moments to its closing bars there’s always something to make you go “wow”, and there’s not a ton of project that can claim that even at this short a length. By the time we’re to the end of ready for it with its top-notch Olivia Knox feature I’m already craving the next release, because this one has been straight up addictive. So now that you’ve listened to me ramble on about it, go check it out in its entirety, because I really do think this is my favourite project to come out in the last 6 months.