Audio – [Unsocial] // Review

Today we review Audio’s new album, in which he goes for a very personal approach.

One month ago, we got a sneak preview of what the new Audio album would sound like, with “Spider Tank” and “Kimura”. Exactly five years after his Beastmode LP, the heavyhitter is ready to bless us with an album once again. But while the sampler showcases the sounds we’re used of the artist, [Unsocial] tells a different story. Drawing on his personal experiences during the pandemic, this album talks about the doubts, the crises, ánd the good sides of this whirlwind.

Starting out with “Tundra” and second track “Claymore”, Audio gives us what we expect from him. Going in from the first until the last second, these tracks bring high energy and take us right to a dark, sweaty club. The third track, “Fools Paradise”, is where things start to get interesting. This track gives us a look inside Audio’s mind. It paints a dark picture, with heavy rollers, in a style new to the British artist. It comes with a heavy feeling, like all is lost and there is no way out of the situation. Luckily, the following tunes on the album are heavy in the other sense of the word.

Fast forward to “Lost”, the track that came together the quickest, according to an interview with UKF. For us, it was the biggest surprise of [Unsocial], because as the man himself said, normally it’s ‘More! Heavier!’ when arranging his tracks. Well, this one is the complete opposite. Stripped of everything that’s excessive, “Lost” brings us back to the basics, while giving a little nod to the 2-step garage scene. “Sulphur” stands in sheer contrast to it, as it’s the track Audio uses to open his livesets. Very big energy, very heavy basses and naugty rollers, just how we know him, and like it! This continues through the next tracks, bringing an uplifting vibe to the album.

“Yellow Was The Light” closes off the album in a wonderfully optimistic way. It leaves us with the feeling that not all is so bad after all. If this artist can make this album during lockdown, then at least something went right, right? With [Unsocial], Audio shows us he can do so much more than what we know him for. The album showcases heavyhitters, but emotional and dark tunes too.

The more we listened to the album, the more the very different tracks started to come together, telling an beautiful, complete story. We recommend you do the same, and don’t press “shuffle”. Listen and save the album here.