scarlxrd’s ‘infinity’ is the sound of fighting back

The rise of Scarlxrd over the past 2 years has been one of the most exciting things to happen in music in a long time. The London performer’s sound splits the difference between trap, grunge and industrial. It’s a sliver of broken glass in your ear. The sound of contradiction. Simultaneously raging against a fucked-up world and reveling in the nihilistic freedom that comes with everything being so broken that nothing matters.

The latest record, INFINITY, opens up deep veins of contradiction, most starkly on the standout “SX SAD.” Over a beat that sounds like a Chuck Jones cartoon from hell, Scarlxrd shreds his vocal chords, screaming “I feel so sad / I’m loving everything I’m doing.” It’s a blunt instrument like a ball-peen hammer through a window.

The best moments on INFINTY come when Scarlxrd opens up his sound and finds ways to contrast the everything-to-ten aesthetic without sacrificing an ounce of raw power. The slowcore “HXW THEY JUDGE” and closer “DEMXNS & ANGLES” drop the tempos and add almost post-rock sounding guitar lines to the distorted beats and bone rattling bass. The lyrics stare in the the abyss and wait for it to blink. “How long can I pretend I’m fine? / And my limits, they won’t leave my mind / I don’t know how much I can take.”

In a world where lives are devalued to the point where nothing matters, sometimes the only thing you can do is fucking scream along. Find the loudest speakers you can get, and blast this shit.