No two artists’ release schedules are the same. Whether it’s a fresh project or an established stadium act, there can be influence from the label, management, or other third parties; or the artist might work quickly or with a more deliberate touch. For SYN, it’s taken 18 months since the birth of the project for his debut EP to materialize, but it’s been well worth the wait.

New Rave Pt. 1 is actually a bit of a misnomer. Listening through the EP, there’s clearly influence from a lot of older styles, more established rhythms and such. But, as you move through the EP, and especially in the last two tracks, you start to see the future.

The EP begins with a spoken word intro on the title track, explaining the ethos behind the project, descending heavily into a cacophonous dubstep drop. SYN himself explains,

“My entire inspiration behind the EP came from a storyboard I came up with about planet earth becoming uninhabitable due to the excess of human activity in the year 2077. A handful of humans survive and flee to find Another Planet in order to escape the Danger and save the human race. They have to adapt and come up with ways to survive in hostile environments. They use technology to enhance their capabilities – they become augmented humans, Gangsters. They are the New Rave.”

For me, the EP really takes a turn for the best when you get to the second half of “Gangsters” and all of “2077.” “Gangsters” starts with a pretty standard dubstep drop that would fit wonderfully on a label Never Say Die or Disciple. But then the bridge… and second drop. With a high-pitched melody supporting the high-energy rhythm and synths, it brings the track to a completely new level.

It all ends with “2077,” a 5-minute melodic bass journey that feels like an actual time machine. The distorted, textured bass following along with the punchy percussion and whining melody give it a futuristic feel without leaving any of the heaviness behind. It’s a brilliant track through and through, and a wonderful ending to a varied and layered project.

If this is just SYN’s debut EP, I’m incredibly excited to see what he can come up with on a longer project. Listen to New Rave Pt. 1 below, out now on Kayzo’s Welcome Records.