Always ready to change the rules on pop and electronic music, Essaie Pas have created something truly bizarre on their latest EP. Though more inherently a mix of electronic music and experimental writing than anything pop-driven, the record is full of lush sounds and a subtle narrative on the shifts in humanity.

The album sheds its first bit of light on its cold atmosphere as “Les Aphides” beats to life with an unnerving electronic beat. The song’s sparse production perfects the base of its beat and simple groove to set up a range of experimentation. This said, the track often just spits different bits of sound onto this foundation rather than changing around or even just expanding its main hook. Because of this crossroads of monotony and lackluster changes, the track feel like a bloated intro rather than a full song.

With a Lynchian austerity, “Futur Parlé” cuts in with the emotional power of a sci-fi score, and every one of its choppy hooks really ups the tension. Though it still takes a while, the song builds its beat into something strong before introducing vocals and really makes every part of the song feel important. The ominous energy of the spoken-word lyrics look through time and technology much in the way the band’s music does aesthetically. Their long meditation while mostly static, still builds a feeling around it that gives its stellar core even more drive.

The subversive beat stirs things up on “Complet Brouillé” as the band’s chaotic mix of noise and vocals enter its pop side. With a cutting synth hook, the song builds more powerfully than the rest of the record, while emulating tones of Nu Shooz in the process. This unpredictability makes the song intoxicating and lets the groove do all the heavy lifting.

There’s a constant building tension in “Les Agents Des Stups” that turns its frantic beat into a catalyst for layers of synths. Each break in the track cools things down for a moment before getting even more insane than before. As the band keep things bumping with a constantly engaging dance beat, the song’s rotating moods are always fresh and surprising. This said it’s undeniable this will only be accessible to their EDM fans as opposed to their earlier pop work.

“Substance M” breaches once more into more of an elevated score energy, as the band slowly evolves one hook into a frantic rush of beats. It should be said no matter its runtime that the sound of this song and the record as a whole is a sublime wonder that pulls you into another world. Though it’s debateable how easy it will be to get lost in and dance to their composition the mounting of energy never stops.

“New Path” closes the album with a haunting monologue over industrial background noises, hinting at a much more sterile and robotic way of life. As a thematic outro the song is a creepy and memorable beast of a listen.

Words by Owen Maxwell