Review
Picture a sonic fever dream where Japanese exploitation cinema crashes headfirst into a warehouse rave, and you're getting close to the beautiful pandemonium of *Wlfgrl*. This debut is an absolute whirlwind—digital hardcore colliding with breakcore, techno tangling up with footwork, all delivered with the subtlety of a sledgehammer wrapped in strobe lights. From the cinematic scene-setter "Mg1" straight into the pummeling techno assault of "Ionic Funk - 20xx Battle Music," Machine Girl makes it crystal clear they're here to melt faces, not make friends with your eardrums. Tracks like the gabbertrap remix "Frenesi" and the hyperkinetic "Krystle - URL Cyber Palace Mix" bounce around like pinballs in a machine that's been kicked one too many times, while "Ghost" throws you a curveball with its dreamy deep house atmosphere—a brief moment to catch your breath before the chaos resumes.
What makes *Wlfgrl* so thrilling is how it refuses to settle into predictability. "Out by 16, Dead on the Scene" channels MPC-driven rhythms with a grimy edge, "Hidden Power" cranks the maximalism up to eleven, and "Excruciating Deth" lives up to its name with brutal intensity. The whole record ping-pongs between tracks like "Post Rave Maximalist," "Phase Alpha," and "Freewill," weaving themes of betrayal and revenge through a lens that's somehow both genuinely unsettling and wickedly fun. By the time closer "Mg2" fades out, you've been through a breakneck journey that feels like getting shot out of a cannon into a neon-soaked dystopia—and honestly, you'll probably want to do it all over again. - Clementine