Modus Vivendi blends a wide variety of genres together to create a complex experience- constantly winding down to emotional climaxes only to then speed up to create an apocalyptic soundscape with drone synthesisers blaring.

Mike Dean’s production tends to lean into 80’s synth pop territory, but 070 Shake’s performance winds across emo-rap to hip-hop, contemporary R&B to experimental electronica.

From the two opening songs, the tone is set. Opener ‘Don’t Break The Silence’ is a beautiful melodic humming where 070 Shake repeats in autotune grandeur “I need your love”. She then breaks into a short slam poetry-esque passage with metaphorical language. The track transforms into ‘Come Around’, where the synthesisers are still present but transform into harrowing drones drowned out by Shake repeating “Come around with your love, baby, I'm in need”. The transition is seamless between the songs, and Shake is extremely vulnerable in her tone yet powerful behind the transforming synth cords.

The singles ‘Morrow’, ‘Nice to Have’, ‘Under the Moon’ and ‘Guilty Conscience’ are less experimental than the contents in between. ‘Morrow’ was the lead single off Modus Vivendi, a dual narrative of a breakup in the making. Powerful lyricism is evident all throughout the track, and continues on ‘Nice to Have’.

So squeeze my heart all day

Squeeze it 'til it breaks in

Fuck what they say, I'm safe in your arms

And if I die in your arms

There'll be a smile on my face

The production on all four songs is gorgeous- particularly the glistening ‘Guilty Conscience’ which is a powerful synth-pop breakthrough and an early contender for one of the best songs on 2020.