- A mind-melting, genre-bending triumph in hyperpop (and beyond).
- Chances are, this year at least, you've encountered the term hyperpop. It's is a microgenre of sorts that emerged in the 2010s, became fully formed around 2018 and has been a constant presence in music headlines since the tragic passing of SOPHIE in January. Jimmy Edgar is something of an elder statesman for hyperpop, which takes a maximalist approach to contemporary chart pop, drawing uniquely from rap, dance, emo and more (think 100 gecs, PC Music, Charli XCX). The American producer is one of the few artists to come close to SOPHIE's immense creativity, both as a friend and decade-long collaborator. There's a treasure trove of unreleased joint projects, like "Jump," many of which may never see an official release.
Edgar posted a heartfelt message into his label's Discord community after SOPHIE passed, talking about how essential her presence had been to his latest album, Cheetah Bend. He even dedicated the LP to her legacy: "The story of Cheetah Bend now has a new tone, because she was such a vital part of this. 'Curves' was started in a Charli [XCX] session that SOPHIE had brought me into, where I met A. G. [Cook]. 'Metal' was something we'd been working on for a while and she was so excited about releasing it."
Edgar's big thing, in his own words, is "hybridization"—a splash of hyperreal synth textures here, a thumping layer of trap bass there. And it brings both sounds and scenes together: he's a collaborative soul who champions a sense of collective empowerment with his records. In the eight or so years since his last LP, he's collaborated with Machinedrum as J-E-T-S, produced an album for Dawn Richard and worked with Charli XCX and Vince Staples. Building on 15 years of collaborative energy, Cheetah Bend is a landmark release in Edgar's catalogue. He takes his sound into vibrant new dimensions with cameos from a who's-who of crossover club music and hyperpop artists, including SOPHIE, Hudson Mohawke, Danny Brown, Rochelle Jordan, Millie Go Lightly, B La B, Semma, Messer and 24hrs.
Cheetah Bend hits the sweet spot for fans who thrive in the space between the electronic music, trap and pop universes. Warp affiliate Danny Brown is his usual maniacal self on "Get Up," a low-slung, tough love thumper that riffs off a classic James Brown hook. "Pause," with Matt Ox, is a dreamy trap affair, with a manic dance floor touch that would be as at home in a dark nightclub as it would be on the soundsystem of a suped-up car. "Bent," on the other hand, is relatively chilled-out, though its hi-def production values and pseudo-orchestral outro are clearly the work of Hudson Mohawke, a long-time electronic music luminary like Edgar himself.
But some of the best tracks on this record are the ones featuring lesser-known artists. Millie Go Lightly's vocals are radio-ready on the ballad "Be With You," maybe the best display of Edgar's potential as a big-league producer yet. Vocalist Messer (AKA Mitch Grassi) reaches an incredible dynamic range somewhere between Caroline Polachek and Charli XCX on the soaring "Ready 2 Die," while Rochelle Jordan's smouldering R&B on "Crank" makes for a slow jam earworm that sounds like it could have come from the Y2K pop explosion.
And then there's SOPHIE. She officially features on "Curves" and "Metal"—a major highlight with squealing synths and a bassline that sounds like gelatin wobbling on a hand-saw—and you can feel her presence throughout the record's out-there, how-did-they-make-this sounds. It feels almost like Edgar is helping to carry the torch in SOPHIE's honour, though the accomplishment and growth showcased on Cheetah Bend is the zenith of his own long career. With an emphasis on texture, plus a little help from his friends, Edgar reaches a new tier of creativity on Cheetah Bend, which is one of the finest—and weirdest—cross-over records of the young year.
Tracklist01. Crown
02. Get Up feat. Danny Brown
03. Pause feat. Matt Ox
04. Metal feat. Sophie
05. Be With You feat. Millie Go Lightly
06. Bent feat. Hudson Mohawke
07. Turn feat. B La B
08. Have A Great Now!
09. Cheetah feat. Semma
10. Zigzag
11. Notice feat. 24hrs
12. Ready2die feat. Messer
13. Crank feat. Rochelle Jordan
14. Curves