Hellcat Speedracer have already had a massive year and now, they’re coming out with their debut EP ‘No Chaos, No Future’ bringing some of their favourite artists in to inject some exciting energy into their chaotic, yet cohesive, and absolutely bombastic beats.
Hellcat Speedracer definitely don’t do things by halves; this EP sees them fully taking their unique production style by the horns and developing strong melodies that will linger in your mind long after the first listen.
‘No Chaos, No Future’ kicks off with ‘Ethos’, which features the stellar vocal stylings of Medhanit. You don’t really know where you’re going with ‘Ethos’ but that’s what makes the track so interesting. The song begins with chiming samples, warm atmospherics, energetic percussion, and uplifting vocals, and you initially think this will be a sweet and summery track, with sharp percussion. Then, the best suddenly drops, and you’re thrust into a dark, hollow club groove before being brought backup to another light melody where textured piano tones and a steadier beat flow beneath the vocals.
‘Ethos’ is kind of like a rollercoaster, taking you through peaks and valleys of sound. As soon as you think you know what’s coming, the production takes an unexpectedly sharp left turn, immersing you in a completely different soundscape.
With buzzing atmospherics, twinkling tones, and buzzing synths rising together, ‘Glory To Us’ feels euphoric. The choral vocal track certainly emphasises this as it rises alongside the synths before taking you into ‘the one’.
On ‘the one’, pulsating synths move alongside the soft vocals, giving the track a sweet, yet sultry feel. Sharp, almost metallic percussion bursts out from within the synths, teasing a more energetic drop before steady high hats enter the mix. ‘the one’ continues to slowly build and once we hit the airy break, we reach the drop and are suddenly immersed in a fun electronic wonderland. This is a really infectious track and one that you’ll probably hear everywhere soon enough – just watch.
Zoe, lead singer of The Buoys, has an incredible voice and as ‘Our Friends’ begins, her vocals soar above tapping percussion, vibrant atmospherics, and sizzling synths. Like ‘the one’, ‘Our Friends’ is really fun. The bouncing bass tones keep the energy high as the synths and subtle glitching samples, add texture to the atmospherics, but it’s Zoe’s vocals that really makes ‘Our Friends’ a special ear worm of a track.
After a few tracks that have been led mainly by textured synths and sharp percussion, we dive into ‘Echo In The Streets’, where hollow synths and a heavy beat take charge. ‘Echo In The Streets’ has a bit of a haunting quality to it, partly because of the harmonised vocals and partly because of the smoky synths, warped samples, and hard high hats that melt into the melody. This is a club-ready track that drags you down into the depths of a rave you’ll never want to leave.
The darker tone continues on ‘Whiplash’, an interlude with heavy drums grounding muted pads, digitised samples, and sliding synths, before we hit ‘Daybreak’.
‘Daybreak’ is a shadow-filled club track that infuses drum and bass-inspired production with the iconic vocals of DZ Deathrays’ Shane Parsons. ‘Daybreak’ holds nothing back and seamlessly blends ghostly atmospherics with gritty synths, and energetic beat, and powerful guitars. The strength radiating from this track is fantastic and will make you feel like you can take on absolutely anything; it’s the perfect thing to play whenever you need hyping up or just need to get your blood pumping.
Hellcat Speedracer have a unique approach to production that blends harder elements with warm accents to create the most unexpected melodies. ‘No Chaos, No Future’ is the perfect introduction to their specific style, as well as the artists that inspire them, and as far as debut EP’s go, this one’s up there with the best of them because it’s exciting and brings something new to the electronic table that you won’t find anywhere else.