In my short time running this blog, this is the third time already that I’ve featured these guys in my articles (wrote about them here and here before). Perhaps, this phenomenal double side gives you a taste of why.

Titled Never Change, this EP includes two starkly contrasting tunes – one melodic dubstep and the other midtempo. The lead single (if you can call it one) was highly anticipated, having received tons of support in live sets – it’s the melodic dubstep tune that leans slightly towards the more energetic dubstep roots than most tracks in the genre these days. The bonus track came out of the blue, and manages to blend Crystal Skies’ distinctive sound design into the trendy genre that is quickly becoming saturated.

In both of the wildly different songs, one does however notice some similarities. First up is the sound design – in melodic dubstep and dubstep in general, without unique, creative sound design, producers do not gain traction among the myriad other mediocre peers trying to make moves in the game. Crystal Skies showcases their knack for technical production with sublime mixing and percussion in Never Change, as well as innovating layering in Carbon, as discussed below. Secondly, melodic bass is a categorization which Crystal Skies seem to resonate with, clearly seen in the fact that both tunes have a melodic focused drop and a rough, raw, bass-heavy drop.

Never Change is a lyrically-driven tune that relies on Seven Lions-esque melodic dubstep with a distorted square wave lead. Initially IDed as Crazy due to the chorus, this tune has been a staple in Seven Lions’ sets in his Journey II Tour that recently concluded. Starting with some atmospheric pads and an electric guitar, Gallie Fisher’s wonderful vocals enter the mix accompanied by soothing Said The Sky-like production. The pre-chorus boasts some boosted low end basses (as in many Seven Lions tracks, including this one), while the drop itself ups the energy with a few wubs and a punchy square lead. The drop’s outro features 1/32nd note plucks in the mid-basses, which creates a fast-paced and psy feel to the track.

Impressively choosing not to use a copy-pasted second drop, the duo brings the song back to their roots with an old school dubstep growl-filled section, reminiscent of Au5’s work. Percussion keeps the energy high throughout almost the whole song, while there’s just enough room for the vocals to stand out through the dense mixdown. Amid the energy, however, is the mellow beauty of the piano and guitar section, which are indeed a rarity in EDM, especially in the melodic bass styles, which prefer digital plucks or synthesized chimes.

Meanwhile, Carbon moves towards the trending style of midtempo pioneered by Rezz, 1788-L and others. Employing heavy bitcrush, Carbon combines liquid growls with gritty basses and white-noise saturated, flute-like elements. Without forgetting to include exotic chants in the break, accompanied by soft glitchy synths playing the chord progression, we move on to the second drop which actually sounds like what I would expect from a 1788-L and Blanke collaboration. The track morphs, taking a more melodic avatar through through wide supersaws which add an enjoyable sense of harmony to the overarching dirty tune.

An interesting aspect to note about this release was the marketing involved. The double side was teased as a single right until the release, when we got a surprise dose of the notorious glitchy midtempo genre in the ‘bonus’ track. Seven Lions and his Ophelia team have done this before with their ‘Oceans’ EP, which also featured their darker collaboration titled The Sirens. This release also follows the same pattern of a melodic lead single and a dirtier bonus. I guess this works wonders for those curators and listeners who prefer the more mainstream melodic styles.

There’s a reason that this duo identifies themselves as producers of melodic bass; these two words are exemplified through this double side. They still have a lot more to come, including a Seven Lions collaboration which has been Seven Lions’ opener for quite a few sets.