REZZ It's Not a Phase EP

Signaling the beginning of Rezz's goth era, It's Not a Phase is the boldest mission statement in her catalog thus far. Boasting collaborations with rock/metal heroes like Silverstein, Raven Gray, Alice Glass, and Johnny Goth, the release is packed with more darkness, heavier beats, infectious guitar riffs, and bigger vocals than we've ever heard from Space Mom before. If Rezz were a piece of software, It's Not a Phase quintessentially upgrades her to v2.0. Not content with starting completely anew, she opens the moody affair up with a familiar voice...

Grabbitz's vocals and Rezz's production are a marriage made in electronic music heaven through and through. There's something supremely magical that happens when these two sonic elements come together & it translates into birthing some of their greatest hits. "Signal"
is no exception as it features some of the most soul-stirring vocal delivery we've heard from Grabbitz yet (it literally sounds like he's singing with tears in his eyes at one point) and of all the tracks on this EP, this is the most signature Rezz-sounding one of all of them.

A major standout on this particular Space Momma release is "Blue in the Face" which features London artist Shadient, who's known for his inventive and deviant approach to production that puts him elbow to elbow with artists like Aphex Twin and Gesaffelstein. Handling vocal duties is frequent Rezz collaborator fknsyd at her most vicious & provocative. The track is a scathing slab of industrial ferocity that fits squarely in line with the proclamation that this is, in fact, Rezz's goth era and as such, it vehemently sounds nothing like anything else she's released yet.

For those of us who love when Rezz makes us cry, she included a special treat in the form of her total overhaul of rockstar Raven Gray's "Embers". Rezz was credited as a songwriter on the original 2022 version so it's no surprise that this would one day make its way onto a proper release of her own. While the original version is gorgeous & heart-shattering in its own right, Rezz updates the tune to fit her aesthetic by fuzzing out the guitars, making the drums larger than life, and she features the vocals in an entirely different way that creates the most poignant and gripping moment on It's Not a Phase. When Raven Gray emotes "you're still living in my soul, I just wanted you to know," Rezz drops most of the production to allow the vocals do the legwork and the results will soften even the hardest of hearts.

It's Not a Phase has so many highlights across its seven tracks, one could almost write a book about the music included here. This is surely a pivotal moment in Rezz's career that simultaneously assures her fans (affectionately referred to as The Cult of Rezz) that she still has
gobs of tricks in her tiny backpack and also shows the naysayers that she's no one trick pony. Until now, the rock and metal genres have been incorporated into electronic music in very superficial ways - more often than not, you can tell a track was finished long before guitars or vocals were ever added. The music here was clearly created with the intention of being goth music first and electronic music second. One listen to her collab with Alice Glass, "Not Enough," is evidence enough of that. Nobody would bat an eyelash if this heater was included in a DJ set from goth/industrial mainstays like Boy Harsher or HEALTH. Now that Rezz has
openly welcomed the metal and goth communities to the table, the sky is the limit for where her music can go from here. One thing is certain though: It's Not a Phase is a merely a taste of things to come.