“I was spat out by the mouth of a god.“
It has felt a good while since the genres of drum’n’bass and techno have come to blend with metal and alternative rock in a fashion that produce something of note. It moves the mind back to a time where the shuffle of an iPod would see Enter Shikari soon followed by Chase & Status, and later on an inclusion from The Qemists who looked to bring a true blend to the two sounds. While there have been acts piecing these sounds together over the years, it’s only really felt like it’s clicked in 2023.
The first part of the year saw the exceptional release of Kappacore from Tokky Horror. This sat in a somewhat different vein, blending punk and jungle in a fashion that gained them deserved notoriety. It also saw Toronto Is Broken begin the roll-out of their full-length record, with singles “Blood Rites” and “Drip Feed“, the latter seeing a feature from REEBZ who has since become a staple feature on Toronto Is Broken tracks. Both tracks nudged the thought that maybe the obtusely dubbed ‘electronicore‘ sound could be back, and on the somewhat self-titled TORONTOISBROKEN, it might just seeing a true return to form.
It would be fair to say that TORONTOISBROKEN is a beast of a record, running at just over an hour with 15 tracks to work through. Moving outside of the opener “VHS“, it throws itself into the deep end on “Breed“, which shows REEBZ’ barking vocals take main stage along side deep bass drops. It’s a track of breadth that delves into a metalcore-style breakdown to close out, which rattles the record awake in a huge fashion. Following track “Martyrs” introduces the second mainstay feature, Sebotage. These deeper vocals are blended in with some liquid moments, as well as some angsty riffs to give brute force to the track.
This is taken up on a notch on “Lowlife“, fully engaging in the drum’n’bass elements that Toronto Is Broken has become an expert in. The cranking up of the bass makes it yearned to be turned up, and is almost ridiculous in its nature. The aforementioned “Drip Feed” enters the fold after, and despite being released as a single more than a year and half ago, it remains a standout track on the record. The vocal hooks of “Hold me down make me bleed, Drip drip drip drip, Feed me” among many others give immense listenability to the track. These addictive vocals, along with the balance of the more alternative elements that neatly sit aside the electronic sensibilities, arguably make it one of the more underrated tracks of this year.
It is on “Raw” that features both REEBZ and Sebotage that TORONTOISBROKEN does perhaps meet the long march of an album and the on-the-nose nature that this sound often runs into. The “All bark, no bite, I want it raw” has a shallow bluntness in its delivery that breaks the experience. Not to single it out, but it isn’t the only offender on the record . “Blood Rites” does correct the course with its bouncy drum’n’bass overload that is quite difficult not to embrace, and offers a nice contrast to the slightly one dimensional sound of the previous track.
As TORONTOISBROKEN rolls into its midpoint on “Shower Prayer“, rumbling riffs are blended with a mix of growling vocals that sees REEBZ chuck in a brief guttural with the emotive singing, giving a rough-around the edges feel of a late 00s Myspace track. The explosive of bass during the breakdown adds real oomph to “Shower Prayer“. This energy is carried through into “Anaesthesia“, seeing Featuring The Fade join in alongside the return Sebotage.
The vocals from “Fight The Fade” that have a metal-style force to them, providing a satisfying contrast. Another big vocal performance from REEBZ darts between racing synths and expansive bass. The hook on the chorus (“From the chaos I carve, I am reborn again“) sinks itself into the mind. It is perhaps here on the next few tracks that the length of TORONTOISBROKEN does begin to take its toll, with “Nihilist” and “Circle” having the feel of dragging things out slightly. “Natty Lou – Altered States“, as good as it is, does feel slightly out of place with its more club sounding atmosphere.
Making it to the closing moments does reward the listen with both “Pleasure + Purpose” and “Threads“, the former offering up a full-force experience of what the TORONTOISBROKEN has showed cased. The energy that Sebotage vocals brings is matched with huge synths and bass before REEBZ weaves in their gorgeous vocals to give a warmth and heart to the track.
Closing out TORONTOISBROKEN comes the aforementioned “Threads“, which draws back the sound seen across the record for an emotive and paced approach. REBBZ seals what has been a standout performance here, with the pained vocal delivery: “And can you see my through your eyes, hanging by a thread, wishing you were closer“. Building into something more bassy in its final third, it still manages to maintain the melancholy displayed early on.
After running just over an hour, TORONTOISBROKEN is somewhat of a behemoth to digest, even with the quality at hand. It more than scratches the itch of the electronicore, drum’n’bass, metalcore or whatever genre people choose to include it under. Its slightly over the top nature serves it well and makes for one of the most expansive and unique listens this year. This, added with a noteworthy vocal performances from REEBZ and Sebotage, make for a project and sound that will hopefully have many more iterations to come.
8/10
TORONTOISBROKEN is out December 1st via FiXT and can be pre-ordered here.