Categorizing VibeSquaD’s New Creatures is frustrating. Sure, one could say that the six-track EP is characteristic of Aaron Holstein’s work since VibeSquaD’s inception in 2007, but that proves the point. In fact, the Boulder-based producer’s appeal is largely due to his willingness to switch styles, defy convention and surprise.
All of that remains true, and New Creatures is an effortless showcase of Holstein’s penchant for beautiful chaos: acidic synth stabs, rumbling bass, meticulous attention to detail and searingly crisp production. The competing overtones of glitch-hop, dubstep and IDM are food for the mind, just as the seismic sections of low-end are fuel for the feet. This is not music strictly for the headphones or solely for the dance floor. If anything, it’s for both. At the same time.
Hopefully that explains why saying something that is both definitive and accurate about the EP is a bit difficult. There are moments of spastic, glitchy funk on songs like the crackling opener “Aristocratic Static” or the slightly more subdued title track (complete with vocoded psychobabble). That said, moodier inclusions like the spacey, meandering “Boosters” and the tasteful, guitar-laden “Clumps” also impress, if not enthrall.
So, what can really be said about New Creatures? Well, it is a confident, daring release from one of the leading lights of the state’s electronic music scene. It will elevate minds and destroy dance floors. It will have many eagerly waiting for VibeSquaD’s next full-length release. But, most of all, it is really, really good.
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