ericdoa - DOA

21-year-old experimental pop producer prodigy ericdoa has long been heralded as one of the most exciting talents in the realm of whatever hyperpop or higicore or electro-emo or just making Bonkers Mad Shit is. A number of years after making his name, though, these genre signifiers are increasingly evaporating into a more amorphous and fluid constellation of ambitious young artists full of freedom and a desire to do whatever they please. On his second full-length project, 'DOA', eric is done with labels and is purely in his good songs era.

The 10-song, 23-minute collection is a fevered rush through everything that makes his music thrilling. Throughout, he has a brilliant knack for making music that sounds abrasive, raw and direct but also sounds frivolous, ebullient and party-ready at the same time, like on the disco-pop jam of 'dancinwithsomebawdy'. It's an interesting juxtaposition at the heart of what ericdoa does. He could easily be an introspective bedroom producer making angsty, insular and difficult music, and sometimes he shows flashes of that fragmented discordance, like on the foreboding tension of 'lastjune', but ultimately, it feels like ericdoa wants to have fun as emphasised by the upbeat bangers that give this collection life.

Bursting out of cliches and labels, ericdoa forges an exciting path for the future as an artist in his own right, unencumbered by expectation. 'DOA' is yet another positive step in the journey of a compelling new talent.