Review of Bug Thief Single by Iglooghost
UK electronic artist Iglooghost has been one of the most game changing producers of recent times, maybe even thee most game changing. His EP's 'Chinese Nü Yr' and 'Little Grids' have established his sound as one that manages to be punchy, speedy as well as warm and adorable, with beats that carry a lot of rainbow dazzle, being put to adrenaline fuelled, all-over-the-place rhythms, as if you've been injected with actual adrenaline, that's somehow made out of ice cream. This makes Iglooghost's sound one that takes no sh*t, as much as it's one that is comforting. His songs have huge scope, but they also feel really intimate, giving you the best of many different approaches to music in just one package. He's just announced his debut full-length 'Neo Wax Bloom' and whilst we eagerly count the days until this drops (September 29th), we've got this new single 'Bug Thief' to give us an enchanting glimpse at what's in store for us.
Even in the delicate start of this track, there's so much going on already with the glacial piano, and the mystical beats sweeping in, like they've just made the jump through hyperspace. Iglooghost's sound is so maximal that even in the more restrained moments, there's still so much going on for you to make heads or tails of. 'Bug Thief' does burst into many more sporadic beats, with the song maintaining it's warm, snuggly, soothing charm. This is why Iglooghost rules, he's able to bring such polar opposites together and not have one feel like the other is bending a knee to the other.
Like most Iglooghost tracks, 'Bug Thief', has kung-fu strength and agility with the beats being so rapid, thick and swinging, but because they're so colourful and have a fantastical feel to them with the soundscapes being so ethereal and windswept, you get the best of both worlds with this sound being something you can get your stomp on to (if you can keep up) as well as something you can stick on for when it comes to moments of reflection.
Despite this song having tons of vibrant colour to it, like you would expect with Iglooghost, this is more reserved and even has something of a morose feel, compared to many of his other tracks, due to the glacial textures going at this pace that's akin to being lost whilst quickly trying to get somewhere, making that meditative factor even stronger. With that being said, Iglooghost going light is still more hyper than most artists bringing out all of their firepower.
The track comes to an end with a choir-like vocal emerging through everything, Iglooghost's ecstatic elements darting around lightly, before retrieving in the form of a light crash, akin to a Pokémon returning to its Pokéball after winning a battle for its trainer.
It takes dozens of listens to 'Bug Thief' to just about manage to take in everything that's happening and even then, you know there's still plenty of stuff that you're yet to discover in this over-the-top fantasy world Iglooghost puts you in, meaning you're always going to come back to explore more. If the rest of 'Neo Wax Bloom' is this good, this adventurous, then it's going to be a utopian society of an album.
