Kayzo - New Breed
KAYZO
New Breed
Release Date: June 24th, 2022
Label: Welcome Records
Review by Jared Stossel
When the “EDM boom” came about in 2010, there was an energy to it that I found exciting. It was the same feeling I got when I heard pop-punk, emo, and metal music. Around 2015, a peak for this music popularity in the mainstream was approaching; every artist you could think of was now incorporating electronic dance music into their production, and its coolness factor was reducing. At the same time, there was a movement of artists producing an evolved version of dubstep that, on the surface, I could describe as what it sounds like when two Transformers are engaged in battle. The goal for these artists was to make things sound as crazy, over-the-top and ear shattering as possible. If you went to a show and you could feel the bass rattling your sternum, you were successful in your endeavor.
Kayzo is one of the emerging forces in this newer evolution of dance music, and with his third album New Breed, he’s proving that he can not only stand up amongst some of the genre’s biggest names, but also make something entirely unique. I brought up the emo and metal subgenres earlier in this review specifically because Kayzo has incorporated those elements into the songs heard throughout New Breed. He has an ability to pull from the aspects that have made this genre so special and weirdly its own, while producing a wide array of earth-shattering drops. New Breed’s first track, “UNDERGROUND”, takes a moment to build before a metalcore-infused guitar line radiates throughout the speakers, ascending into a high-speed bass drop that commands you to jump.
Tracks like “CYBER DETHHH”, “SHT SHOW”, and the title track embrace the more outlandish elements of bass music, with ear-shattering breakdowns that fluctuate between pushing the levels of a venue’s subwoofer and blowing out the higher end tweeters. For the most part, a dance music show (particularly from an act like Kayzo) demands energy, and New Breed is first class look at how to channel that energy into this kind of music.
New Breed features a wide variety of artist collaborations, ranging from artists like GHØSTKID, Of Mice & Men’s Aaron Pauley, PhaseOne, POORSTACY, DE’WAYNE and CRAY. Kayzo has pulled from a wide variety of influences on this one, similar to 2019’s Unleashed, which featured collaborations between blessthefall, All Time Low’s Alex Gaskarth, and Memphis May Fire’s Matty Mullins. He’s got one foot in two worlds: the emo and post-hardcore world that raised him, and the electronic world that would pick up the torch years later.
“DEAD AWAKE” is a standout track for me. I know that it’s not going to be for everyone, but as someone who grew up surfing through hundreds of band pages on MySpace as a teenager, trying to find the next big artist in the scene, this absolutely feels like a song that would have come out of that era. Combining a minimalist trap beat with vicious screamo vocal lines from Banshee and repetitive lyrics, this is a track that’s slightly reminiscent of the short-lived “crunkcore” era of the scene. “BURN IT DOWN” is a combination between tourmates ATLiens and ADAM ON EARTH, who provides guttural deathcore vocals that come together in trippy, apolcalyptic breakdown. As I first began to hear metal being incorporated into this style of dance music, I hoped it would lead somewhere like “BURN IT DOWN”. Songs like “MOONLIGHT” (featuring Siiickbrain) and “NEWS FLASH” (featuring Kamiyada+) continue to embrace the early stages of the screamo genre that found bands decked out in skinny jeans, neon t-shirts, and studded belts. “POSER”, a collaboration between Kayzo and conner, along with the upbeat “LOVE ME HATE ME” (featuring DE’WAYNE & CRAY) each sound like they could have fit into Breathe Carolina’s Hello, Fascination album at any point. “BOTTLE OF RAIN” with POORSTACY is embraces the genre of emo rap that has been popularized in recent years by artists like the late JUICE WRLD and Lil Peep. None of this music is incorporated or used for shock value; this is a genuine love letter to the genres that were at the front and center of this scene.
New Breed is an excellent entry in Kayzo’s discography thus far. It embraces the art of the full-length album, a medium that I’ve seen start to disappear among dance music artists over the last several years (many of which are opting to release only singles or short EPs). Subsequently, it does an amazing job at blending genres, using none of these elements in a trope-like fashion, but rather utilizing them to tell his story and showcases what sets him apart as a producer in rather crowded pond of dance music artists.
Kayzo
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