EP Review: Count to Ten

Biobird has been quietly amassing a solid body of work and growing recognition amongst the New Zealand bass music community, sliding between low and high BPM subgenres with ease. The 2019 EP release Count to Ten leans toward 170+ but retains enough Trap/Dubstep elements to distinguish itself from your usual release.

The opener Feel The Flow exerts effortless swagger, Flamenco-esque guitar picking giving way to crunchy bass and cheeky blip FX, surrounded by a swirling vocal and building towards a stuttering breakdown. It sets the template for the EP with constantly shifting elements keeping each tune absorbing from beginning to end.

A fat, fuzzy b-line propels Groove On atop a funky breakbeat, a house-like synth-line creating an upbeat ambience before reverbed rises and descents lead to a chopped-up outro full of stabby overdriven bass.

The title track Count to Ten stomps like an escaped monster, with gritty perc hits and mentasm-like bass work creating a gnarly, cinematic soundscape. Chunky, textured bass also features prominently on Get Phunk, robotic voices chirping their agreement, with a plunging apocalyptic drop and hazy strings building a dystopian unease.

Hit Me closes things on a nasty dubsteppish grind, a moody intro leading to a lurching drop, the tune mutating into a more reflective mode as it descends into swells of organ and glitchy percussion.

This is an EP that grabs on first listen – not always an easy feat. There’s also enough movement and variety within each tune to stand out from the often formulaic nature of Drum & Bass. Another assured release from a rapidly developing artist.