EP Review: Digitalism – ‘Lift’
3 min read
Ever had a moment where you’re in a nightclub surrounded by a number of unfamiliar faces making you feel out of place when suddenly a song you love comes blazing out the speakers making a bigger impact then when the cavalry arrived? You know immediately the tune, the words, the album and the artist. Alternatively, while dancing in the same nightclub, has your friend ever said “who’s song is this?” and neither of you could name it? That’s the problem with the new Lift EP from Digitalism.
The house, dance and electro genres have become so crowded with different artists doing the same songs, using the same instruments and just changing a few little things to call it a “remix” so sadly this EP has been done before it even hit the studio. This wouldn’t be a bad thing if this was Digitalism’s first EP but in my mind after you’ve had two studio albums and tracks featured on many big video games like FIFA or Saints Row, you would expect their sound to be quite distinctive.
The first track Lift sounds like a summer dance hit that you’ll get sick of hearing because it will be on every dance compilation of the next year. The opening drum pattern is similar to Green Day’s Know Your Enemy and the deep bass melody used to beef up the song sounds like it should belong in a Bring Me The Horizon remix. The song progress to a point where it comes to a halt to countdown from 3 down to 1 only to bring in a drop.The drop is lackluster and the hook reminds me of Swedish House Mafia’s Don’t You Worry child. One could argue that Digitalism is trying to capitalise on the market now that SHM (Swedish House Mafia) has left it behind.
Dudalism starts with a high vibrato pitch supported by almost didgeridoo sounding bass tone just as a 80’s love ballad synth melody enters the picture before switching to drum and bass overall sound. This is similar to what Daft Punk whipped up for the Tron Legacy soundtrack and it’s no wonder as Digitalism has clearly stated that one of their major influences was Daft Punk. Repetition is clearly heard throughout the song which relies on a three section structure. The only good thing this song does have is the changes in texture, throughout the different sections. Digitalism makes the song feel stripped back and then over time bulks it up, only to repeat the process until it disappears like a figure into thick smoke and thin air.
Electric Fist is like a watered down version of the song that Electro house artist Zomboy threw out three years ago. Using a submerging effect on the synth, the main hook comes rising up only to plunge straight back down again as the song generally remains the same throughout the entire song.
Digitalism has given us an EP with a lot of different sounds and no originality. It’s such a shame that an experienced duo can come out with EP that makes them sound like teenagers. This is not the worst EP I’ve ever heard – it’s not lacking good sound recording or dodgy instrument playing but it is lacking expression and creativity. To sum it up perfectly would be to use the vocal line from the first song on this EP..”and it’s all been done!”
I’m Evan Howell, I am 18 and love every genre of music. Firstly got into music when I was around 5 listening to bands like Jimmy eat world, Led Zeppelin, The who and Linkin park. Around 10, my brother introduced me to more heavy bands such as Slipknot, Parkway Drive, Four Year Strong and A Day To Remember. Since then I devoted myself to discover new bands in all genres.
My role on Renowned For Sound is to produce kick ass reviews about albums, singles, gigs and anything else that needs to be discover!
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