IRYS – Riot (2022)
Across ‘Circles’ and ‘Weirdo’, IRYS showcased the versatility of her sound as she moved from dark retro vibes to catchy electronic pop bops. She continues her amazing ability to fuse energetic pop tones with an undulating darkness in her single ‘Riot’. In this track, she turns this ability to a state of emotional chaos that runs riot in your brain and that can only be understood in retrospect.
Through the lyrics, she looks back on a traumatising situation, in an attempt to make sense of it. Using the darkness of chaotic emotions and a carefully finessed retrospective, she offers a touch of catharsis as she sorts out her thoughts and moves forward. With a pinch of neo-goth, trip-hop and electronica, she has you riding the movement of her music while falling into the emotions it is drenched in.
‘Riot’ uses a progressive electronic pulse to grab your attention and draw you into the dark undertones of the track. There is an inky swirl of shadows to the low levels of the music that creep up your spine. Glinting within the shadows of the melody are brighter colours that hit through the synths. The roiling colours of the melody mimic the chaotic emotions that form the basis of the single. While there is an overall dark vibe to the music, the churn of higher tones brings the complex emotions that hit at traumatic times. There is an undulation to the melody that echoes the reflection of the lyrics as the chaotic churn of colours in the synths is soothed into something a little more emotionally palatable. The complex and artistic replication of chaotic emotions in the melody showcases a maturity and evolution of her sound that lets us know she is really finding her stride.
As the melody darkly undulates in the lower levels of the single, IRYS draws you into her thoughts and reflections through her vocal performance. There is a whisper of breathiness to her performance that slides into a stronger melodic flow. The dynamic movement of her vocals rides the flow of the melody perfectly. Through the lyrics, she considers a past experience that still affects you and attempts to work through the emotions in order to let it go. The riot of emotions is brought to life through her performance as she gets your heart racing at times, only to soothe the beat with a softer vocal touch.
IRYS carefully draws you into a complex churn of chaotic emotions in ‘Riot’, only to soothe your senses as she helps you work through these feelings and move forward. This single showcases IRYS really finding her feet and highlighting the dark-pop sensibilities of her sound. Through the melody, she brings the emotions of the track to life with darkly coloured synths, while her vocals get your heart racing only to be soothed and strengthened.
