https://daily.bandcamp.com/essential-releases/essential-releases-october-18-2024Machine Girl, the New York-born, Pittsburgh-based duo of producer and singer Matt Stephenson and drummer Sean Kelly, entered the pandemic as a niche electronic hardcore act associated with the “digicore” scene, practically unknown except for a small, but incredibly impassioned, online cult following. Their trajectory changed drastically following the release of U Void Synthesizer, a metallic slab of glitched-out apocalyptic rave music that arrived just as lockdown paranoia was starting to peak. In other words, Machine Girl had captured the sound of the zeitgeist before anyone thought to look, either by fate or accident; it only feels fair that all eyes are on them heading into MG Ultra, their first album in four years, which will be supported by a North American headlining tour that’s quickly selling out— and we’re talking venues with 5,000 per-person capacities, not basement clubs. If you’re not on the hype train already, MG Ultra is the perfect place to board, their strongest, catchiest, and most thought-provoking release to date. Stephenson’s arrangements, while more structurally straightforward, remain sharp as nails, chopping Kelly’s hardcore percussion down into feral drum loops and soldering them to layered samples so dense and janky, it’s like the music is no-clipping into itself. From the cyberpunk thrills of lead single “Before I Die,” to the gabber-infused bubblegum of “Cicadas” to the mutant drum & bass of “Psychic Attack,” there’s never a dull moment here, which is probably why I can’t stop listening to the damn thing. The freaks are echelon. Long live the freaks.
–Zoe Camp
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