Release Radar: November 2021

This is a blurb that I wrote for the series Release Radar. Read the whole listicle here.

Photos courtesy of Eve Fowler, Papercut, and Tricot

Image courtesy of PC Music

HYD BY HYD

In this new EP from PC Music signee Hyd, the artist, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, displays a more intimate version of themself to unfamiliar audiences. Prior to their EP’s release, the musician became famous under their former pseudonym QT for another PC Music song, “Hey QT.” Produced by A.G. Cook and late producer SOPHIE, this track put PC Music on the map, but many did not know the person behind the QT persona. After a seven-year hiatus, the artist has returned with a new stage name, delivering a fantastic, stripped-down pop EP filled to the brim with classic hyper-pop influences. In the opening track, “No Shadow,” Hyd gives the listener a soft-pop ballad that reminisces on the dichotomous nature of light and dark, ending as a harsh guitar instrumental that truly wraps up the song perfectly. The playfully sexy “Skin 2 Skin” is accompanied by Hyd’s chilling whispers, as they ask their partner to “ride on the slip and slide.” The latter half of the EP still keeps the characteristic PC Music hyperpop sound, with a more contemporary pop take. Hyd opts for a stripped down guitar on the classic pop ballad “The Look on Your Face,” while still incorporating the glitchy percussions of hyperpop.“The One” is a love song that mourns the loss of a relationship using a more slowed down, yet hauntingly avant-garde electronic sound. Overall, Hyd is a fantastic listen for the fans of the bubblegum, PC Music sound.