Album Review: "This Is My Masterpiece - EP" by Bleed Electric

 

By Jordan Meehan

I recently had the opportunity to review the new EP from Bleed Electric, entitled This Is My Masterpiece. Prior to this, I had never heard of Bleed Electric, so I was excited to see what they would bring to the table, and with “masterpiece” in the title, the bar was raised a little high. As I listened to the 6-track EP, I realized that I had been missing out on some great music from this group! Aren’t pleasant surprises well…oh so pleasant? Here are my thoughts on the new EP: 

The EP opens up with A New Reason, a driving, pounding track that effortlessly blends hip-hop with top-notch electronica that makes you just want to bop along. I’m not a big hip-hop fan, but this track makes even me want to learn the lyrics and spit them out while jiving to the beat. 

The second track, Accidental Genius, just so much going on in this track its hard to keep up! Somehow, though, it all seems to fit together quite organically into a single sonically appealing track. With elements of disco, rap, hip-hop and dub you might be skeptical of how well this track turns out. Alas, it proves to be an irresistible track that melds all of these elements together effectively. 

The EP continues to mix in different elements of electro with Pragmatic, which churns along delightfully with elements of gritty electronica and acid house. This track is juxtaposed (quite effectively, I might add) with Jus’ Been Thinkin’ Bout You (Yeah), a slower, simpler hip-hop/RnB track that slows the EP down just enough, while still maintaining a lively pulse. 

The next track, Angel Fly, picks up the pace a bit; similar to the opening track, it’s an effective mix of hip-hop & rap and electronica, and has what is perhaps the best chorus on the EP. The last track (which is the title track), This Is My Masterpiece, is perhaps my favorite track on the EP; it’s slow, thoughtful and the sound swells, as the track gets more and more intense and proves to be a very effective closing track to an incredible EP. 

Overall, This Is My Masterpiece encapsulates everything that music today should strive to be: beyond the constraints of a single genre. It is an eclectic work of art that unapologetically defies genre norms and burns with a sonic passion that could only be expressed through the unification of different music styles. This EP contains elements of hip-hop, rap, RnB, electronica, disco, and dub, which, on the surface, sounds like it would be a complete and utter mess. However, as with most great works, you just need to step back and appreciate it as a whole, not pick apart each individual aspect, to really appreciate how great it is. This Is My Masterpiece will be available on October 31st, and you can stream the EP below. 

THIS IS MY MASTERPIECE – EP: 9/10