Local Review: Gryzzlee – Rollerblades

Gryzzlee
Rollerblades

Self-Released
Streets: 09.20
Gryzzlee = Death Grips + Bloodtone + Grimes

Straying from the classic trap beats expected from Gryzzlee, Rollerblades showcases  experimental production that sounds more at home on speakers at dimly lit raves. Using elements of house, rap, trance and lo-fi, Rollerblades never stays in one place in terms of mood and tempo, creating a unique listening experience of solid songs that never feel repetitive.

Rollerblades opens up with the distorted “Rap3030.” Atop its reversed samples, disembodied shrieks, lo-fi vocals and intense build ups, the track screams, “This is something different.” “Rap3030” impresses with its ability to mix held back, yet intense, vocals and a fairly dreamy and mellow beat to create a song that is able to be relaxing and heart racing at the flip of a switch.

As the vocals of “Rap3030” start to fade, a mix of techno thuds and the blipping of synths fill the void. “Drip Drip” adds a more defined energy through its percussion, mixing major moments of dance-inducing stretches just to fade out momentarily as the phrase “Stop it, drop, and pop it” fills the gap. 

The title track leads into something a little more subdued, and the EP fades in with a  mellow, guitar-led beat and autotuned vocals accompanied by faint distortion that gives the track a unique smoothness to it.

The rumble from sub bass fills the silence as the main vocals, accompanied by disembodied wails, lead the track into a dark atmosphere with house elements.  The whole track builds to a fever of multiple vocal samples and pounding bass before slowly fading out.

Rollerblades is something fresh coming from Gryzzlee, and hopefully the future sees more EPs like this. Give this latest release by Gryzzlee a look pretty much anywhere you can stream music. –Connor Brady