BNYX® EP "LOADING..."

Jet Ochoa

LOADING… arrives as a prelude. The wait for BNYX’s debut has been endless, and six tracks hold a fanbase over. Choices here are tuned against convention, with hints of various genres bound in synthesis.

ROOM OF SMILES (feat. Uhmeer & Dayne Jordan)

Electric piano chops meld perfectly to drums that bring boom bap to relevance again. Though the 90s rap palette feels far away, the unhinged rolling snares paired with Uhmeer’s melody hook early. Dayne Jordan delivers too, adding complexity through a tonal shift that constructs a nice break.

TELEPATHY LOVE (feat. Clara La San)

There’s a perc on TELEPATHY LOVE that’s so unbelievably good. The blip guides the entire track as Clara La San draws you into something that resembles the blue hours of morning. In theory, trap drums should cut against that softness, yet their microburst bills only drive the song forward.

INTERSTELLAR (feat. George Clanton & Jahvor)

A wash of reverb opens into a cutting vocal that builds. George Clanton’s vocals stretch across the mix while Jahvor strikes through with a higher tone. Background vocals continue to loop in a hypnotic fashion that bring a deliberate sense of expanse.

WATER (feat. Johnny Yukon)

The percussion motif returns to lead. As for the defining characteristic, BNYX knows when to draw the energy back in favor of strong vocal direction. Johnny Yukon’s voice sits so beautifully in the center of the mix; it’s clean and spacious.

PROUD OF ME (feat. Earl Sweatshirt)

A blur of color and noise. The arpeggio refracts like a kaleidoscope. Heard live, PROUD OF ME, is already undeniable. Synths spinning, cowbell hits, Earl Sweatshirt moving with his staple bored-of-everyone flow; strong as ever. BNYX’s production glows around him. PROUD OF ME is a moment that shouldn’t work and still defines the whole project.

BNYX’s layering of sound is distinctly visual. Let’s return to the conversation for TRON 4.

SWITCH IT (feat. Yeat & Zukenee)

Classic combination. Yeat’s voice sounds stretched, almost cracked, which only brings an unhinged modernist energy. Zukenee drives it home, grounding the melodics as synths melt into each other as the outro. The bells echo like falling glass, it’s perfectly reflective as the ultimate closing statement.

WHERE IT LANDS

This EP is the warning shot. It’s a level of precision only possible via full control on production. Melodics, percussion, and vocals are so dexterously refined in tone that compliment and beautifully counter the expected sounds of the feature list.

It’s not the album everyone’s waiting for, but it’s a reminder that when it arrives, it will be.