Rezz - Can You See Me? Album

When you look at the trajectory of REZZ's career, it makes perfect sense that we'd end up here: her bass music era. The most captivating thing about her as an artist is that you can always count on every REZZ release being markedly different from the last. The constant progression that's happening within her music is what keeps us coming back for more and sheesh, Can You See Me? does not disappoint. Firing on all fronts, REZZ comes out with guns blazing across ten tracks that are designed to kick you square in the shins...aurally speaking, of course. She's made it clear that she didn't intend to hold anything back with CYSM, even proclaiming online: "we ain't singing this time". And while you'll be tempted to sing along to her vocal debut on the album's title track, for the most part she's really not joking.

Opening to a cacophony of fuzzy guitar feedback, "Can You See Me" serves as an emphatic mission statement of where REZZ intends to take her artistry in 2024. 'Hypnotic' has been an easy go-to descriptor for Space Mom's music for ages now, but this track is quite possibly REZZ at her most spellbinding. Weaving webs of dark drones, eerie reverb'ed out percussion, searing bass tones, and a chilling whisper legitimately asking us "can you see me now?," she graciously offers us another piece of the sonic puzzle known as REZZ. When you hear those unforgettable words from Donnie Darko commanding us to "pay close attention, you could miss something," it's nearly impossible not to do so. If the sinister atmospheric haze of the first drop isn't enough, this brutish bass music barbarian of a tune will surely have achieved your full attention through its explosive industrial-metal infused second drop. One thing is certain by the end of "Can You See Me" - your response to REZZ will be a resounding 'YES I CAN'.

A welcome surprise on this record is the caliber of collaborations inside. There's not one sleeper to be found here and everyone brings something unique to the party to accentuate REZZ's ever-evolving signature sound. "Everywhere, Nowhere" with her old buddy, old pal Blanke is a spacious affair, a track that fully utilizes each of their own abilities to do more with less. It's been over five years since their first collab, "Mixed Signals," a touchstone in each of their catalogs and also still very much a set staple for each of them. But if you thought that track was dark, the sparse and airy nature of "Everywhere, Nowhere" will have you worried you got lost in space where no one can hear you scream. It's a gorgeously ominous track that gives us a crystal clear glimpse of where each of them currently are with their art after all these years.

Every album has a centerpiece. It's inevitable that any multitrack release will have a central focal point and there was no better choice on CYSM than "The Descent," a searing collaboration with one of the most innovative mad scientists out there, INZO. This masterclass in sound design gives life to the most flawless intersection between two artists' individual styles we've heard thus far. In bass music, there's a lot of talk about 'heaters' but the first drop of "The Descent" is the most literal translation of heat to sound that's likely ever been manifested. And if you think the second half is going to be more of the same, you'd be sorely mistaken. Taking the track title literally, the latter half of "The Descent" has us plunging down the abyss they've conjured up to this point while the walls they've built crumble around us. This paragon of artful music production does double duty as well, as it cleanly wraps up the first half of the record while introducing us to the more tenebrous second part.

A surefire standout on Can You See Me? is REZZ's track with one of the most imaginative and forward-thinking producers in the game, KAVARI. If you haven't heard of KAVARI, you might recognize her tune "Someone Loved It" from the second night of REZZ Rocks V. She's know for creating beautiful noise & forever ensuring that she sounds light years ahead of the rest. If you're looking for the next place to go from EPROM, she'd be your best bet. The luscious chaos these two bass music virtuosos build together on the punishing "Exorcism" is incomparable. You'd be hard pressed to find another track out there that sounds like this. It's the closest we've ever come in bass music to an exercise in the industrial/noise genres and if this is where the future is headed, then sign us all up. For those of you looking to get your brains totally pummeled into oblivion, "Exorcism" will be your closest friend.

Just as caustically aggressive is "DYSPHORIA," a destructive track featuring the enigmatic musical mastermind known as Holly. These two have been fans of each other for some time and this is most definitely a meeting of the minds we've collectively been clamoring for. They lead us through a maze of sound that's brimming with unconventional drum sounds, staggering bass, and sublimely beautiful yet chilling sound design. In other words: "DYSPHORIA" is well worth the wait and will leave you wanting more from this dynamic duo.

Can You See Me? is a meticulously assembled roadmap of the REZZ sound that covers all the bases. Longtime followers might feel the album would be incomplete without "Maleficent," a menacing beast of a track that finds her and frequent collaborator EDDIE reveling in a seething rage of bass growls while their drums wildly spasm around them. These two have shown us time and time again that they're only capable of magic when they work together and "Maleficent" is yet another fascinating collaborative masterpiece from the pair.

Creating one of the more exciting moments on CYSM is REZZ's collab with one of bass music's most visionary artists, Digital Ethos. "Cut Me Out" is a wild romp that's come to kick down your door and get the party started. Just like on "Black Ice," her track with bass titan Subtronics, this is a tune that will have you cutting a rug on the dance floor when the second drop comes around. While the first drop is quintessential Space Mom, the closing half of the track takes you to the most darkest & dankest goth club you've ever experienced. It's just as fun & bouncy as much as it is doom & gloom and certainly manufactures one of the most memorable moments of the record.

If you had to sum up Can You See Me? into one sentiment, it would be that REZZ is here to give us what we want. This is the hardest, most savage entry in her catalog until now and is sure to bring a whole new dynasty of fans to the Cult. With every set, every collaboration, and every release, she's forever leveling up and this album is a wide-angle glimpse into where she intends to take her sound. Even boasting meaty collaborations with Cyclops (who REZZ Rocks V attendees might remember Space Mom dropping his "Sheeesh" remix on night two) and the absolute legend known as Deadmau5, CYSM is the sound of REZZ listening closely to her audience. "OPEN YOUR EYE" is bone-crushing wish fulfillment for those of you who've demanded a collab with Cyclops since last year and the REZZMau5 collaboration, "Infraliminal (Isabelle's Version)" is what happens when two very distinct and pioneering minds unite to create a new, groundbreaking sound. But they don't call her Space Mom for nothing: she'salways shown up to take care of us through each new release. And once again, she's delivered us a massive warm, space-motherly hug in the form of Can You See Me?.