Bonebrokk - In Between Two Worlds (2023)

From the very start of Bonebrokk’s debut album, we are plunged into a downward spiral of industrial percussion and distorted voices. ‘Altered Realities’ builds a terrifying maelstrom out of what sounds like an engine in a deep tunnel, a seismic alarm, and a hype MC calling for help through a busted intercom. Soon a galloping kick appears and we are off to the races. From there, the record rarely lets up.

The sonic palette remains fairly consistent throughout, but the album covers a lot of ground rhythmically and stylistically, touching on deformed dancehall, hyperfuture dnb (Vassilina’s guest spot provides one of the few moments of relative tenderness), and loads of mutant, latin-inflected techno rollers. Two beatless interludes provide breathers—‘Timelines Melt’ and ‘Valey of Wolves’— although, as the titles might suggest, even these are steeped in dread.

Bonebrokk has crafted ‘In Between Two Worlds’ as a bridge into an imagined world that he can escape to, a respite from the banality of day jobs and our mundane everyday existence that club music can provide for us all.