Viticz : re_build
Viticz
re_build
A self-learned producer that began at the tender age of 8, electronic producer Viticz’s output embodies his “genre-morphing” approach, transgressing the boundaries of future bass, dubstep, Japanese pop, and punk with an embrace of glitch aesthetics. If that sounds like overload, you’re not wrong: in the young producer’s Bandcamp description of the EP, Viticz shares that re_build captures his mental states when he was burnt out from working on his first album. With a prolific almost 50 Spotify releases to his name (without even counting his releases as “alter ego” False Hero), it’s not hard to see why, and that overwhelming sensation comes across on his latest EP, re_build: a dense, maximalist sonic exploration that encourages us to follow its protagonist on a journey of reinvention – along the way, the journey and his personal universe begin to “feel like home” itself.
“Swimmy” is re_build’s powerful opening scene, setting a desolate mood for its explorative journey: “I feel so lonely,” Japanese Soundcloud rapper Lil Chill repeats like a mantra over bright, glimmery dreamscapes, bolstered by vocal harmonies and delayed, meditative hums. This instills a sense of wonder that juxtaposes the lyrical despair, but the beat is frenetic, almost frantic, suggesting instead a desire to reach the wonder through repetition, growing more desperate with each utterance. It doesn’t always work – “Breakdown!” a metallic scream pierces through midway, and the beat truly disintegrates for four counts. Although he seeks to hide the protagonist’s emotional breakdown, the deviation is glaringly obvious. The conflict between these emotions define the universe of “Swimmy” – as its lyrics describe, “a world for you and me.”
That paradoxical relationship leads to the EP’s central theme: a cyclical motif of reinvention through iteration. Accordingly, re_build’s narrative begins on a low: “Swimmy’s” last line shines clearly like a wake-up call. “I hate my world,” the protagonist sings, filled with uncertainty upon the opener’s conclusion. Not knowing what his next step should be, Viticz guides his protagonist amidst “unreliable navigation,” where he can only rely on his “own instinct”. “Broken Compass” is fittingly confusing: lullaby-like, Porter Robinson-esque vocals overlay themselves over arcade soundtracks and video game clicks, while shimmers of maraca-like percussion flicker in and out of sync with the track’s vocals, coalescing into a disparate soundscape. These diverse sonic elements easily threaten to sound grating, but Viticz’s mixing pulls everything together into a coherent whole, conveying a sense of overwhelming confusion – despite its result not being addictively replayable.
Similarly, attention to detail allows “New Save+” to excel – here, Viticz rides guitar-driven grooves and vocal processing to deliver a slice of trendy Japanese hip-hop with Lil Chill, recalling tracks like Shurkn Pap’s “Road Trip”. Amongst its constantly morphing production, callbacks to previous tracks on re_build emerge: delayed, reverb-heavy hums and metallic screams drift in the background like in “Swimmy”, while the maracas and punctuating cymbals invoke “Broken Compass”. These callbacks suggest that reinvention is not possible without examination of the past, reminiscent of the desperate clinging onto repetition in “Swimmy”. “New Save’s” title mirrors those conflicting elements, hinting at both a restarted life and the impossibility of cleanly disowning your past – instead, new starts build upon the established context of your past life. With this knowledge, Viticz finally gears up for actual rebirth on the EP’s standout track, “Submerged”, an ascension that is the culmination of the EP’s journey.
As “New Save+” suggests, the end partly lies in the beginning, and “Submerged,” the EP’s closer, is itself a deconstructed flip of “Swimmy.” Just like respawning in a video game, Viticz slowly flickers back to life, as a muffled voicemail eventually devolves into a slurring humanoid reprise of the EP’s opener. Over contemplative keys that feel like strolling across open, sunny meadows, the vocals carry hopeful lifelines, melting into the background as if sounding like a robot choking out its last words. As insistent synths build towards a dubstep-like drop, the track’s facades strip away into reverb-heavy growls, laden in angst. When the drop finally comes, its simple, anthemic melody carries a glorious sincerity. It feels earned, and it feels like a revelation: although the growls’ angst suggest a hesitant embrace of the protagonist’s rebirth, the drop’s exuberance celebrates his final transformation wholeheartedly.
With nuanced emotional depth and remarkable knack for storytelling that materialises through Viticz’s keen sense of sonic detail, re_build’s weaker midsection delivers poetic effect. Punctuated by the powerful “Swimmy” and “Submerged”, “Broken Compass” and “New Save+” document experiments in the process of figuring yourself out, completing the EP’s long, arduous and winding journey of self-discovery. With its raw honesty accompanying Viticz’s highly polished bookends, re_build’s revelations make a genuinely emotional impact. The result is a statement of personal rebirth for Viticz, and a defining start to a journey that will be exciting to watch.
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