It goes without saying that the modern online music landscape is defined by its limitless and free-forming nature. That notion is plainly obvious at this point; digicore and its adjacent scenes are noted as being some of the most progressive groups of artists to ever grace the music world for that exact reason. But how does one take that sentiment to the next step — an unfounded one to this point at that?
There is but one artist within this scene that can lay claim to such an accomplishment already. 17-year-old rising superstar dltzk is that exact figure, and just one listen to their recent output tells the entire story. Instead of simply “doing what they please” with their influences in hand regarding their musical approach, they are going further beyond in practically combining each and every single stylistic decision of modern music and combining it into one sonic amalgamation.
From any other source, this mashup of inspirations and styles alike would sound awful — purposely awful, even. But with dltzk, it is art in its purest form; all of this is coming from an untapped masterclass of an act. And as their coming album Teen Week hits the market next month, the anticipation could not be any higher for what is to come.
A track like “52 Blue Mondays” is meant to bring that much more excitement for such a monumental release, but to say that this track could stand on its own from practically every angle imaginable would surely be an understatement. The rich and vivid soundscape that this track presents is so beautifully constructed, down to each and every minute detail throughout its runtime.
It’s a soundscape that is nearly indescribable, what with its constant shifts in passages all forcibly shrouded in blankets upon blankets of distortion. But this is a track that lives and dies off of its abrasive cues; the sporadic breakbeats heard throughout as well as its soaring synth leads all contribute to this manic presentation that comes off as simply artful more than it does claustrophobic in any way.
If pulling off these acts in such a seamless manner as they do does not prove enough towards this song’s case, dltzk’s remarkable narrative building through their lyrics and structural approach alike will absolutely seal the deal. They present a tale of sheer frustration and angst, all coated in the demeanor of an anxious teenager who is confused at the world around them and the circumstances happening directly to them. These themes correlate exceptionally with the aforementioned sporadic instrumental that seemingly mimics the scattered and rapidly pacing thoughts being given here.
Everything presented in this brief experience leads back to Teen Week — a project that, with the help of tracks like this, is shaping up to be this scene’s definitive concept album to this point. With as much talent as dltzk exudes from a purely musical standpoint, along with the thematic intuition of a songwriting veteran for their age, no one is quite prepared for the absolute magnitude that this album will present on a full-length basis. But even a portion of that moment in the form of this single is enough to keep any audience at bay due to how astonishing this track is.
https://soundcloud.com/dltzk/52-blue-mondays