Back in April of this year – when I covered the Critical Music compilation “20 Years of Underground Sonics”, I mentioned that things might be pretty busy for me in terms of covering interesting bass music releases, because Noisia’s “Closer” was just around the corner, and here we are. They’ve mentioned that it’s their third and final album, and in the days leading up to its release I wasn’t sure where I should set my expectations. Their debut, “Split the Atom”, was a refreshing and energetic approach to electronic music and drum and bass; I still listen to plenty of tracks from the Special Edition release today, and so many tracks were shot through with a distinctive sense of character and identity. This was something I found to be a little lacking in the follow-up album “Outer Edges” – there were still some pretty great tunes (courtesy of Anomaly and The Entangled), but other tracks struggled to find that sense of identity. Layers would be built up and achieve a slow-burn appeal, and then they would be over before there was any kind of payoff. It was a great way for the group to explore a different pace and vibe, but it left me wondering which way Noisia’s “Closer” would go.

Noisia’s “Closer” – a return to form

I needn’t have worried that much, it seems. Noisia’s “Closer” feels much more comfortable finding its groove when compared to Outer Edges, and there are many more tracks that establish their own sense of identity when compared to that difficult second album. In fact, I might go as far as saying that it has more variety than Split The Atom. With “Shutters” you find yourself listening to rapid lo-fi beeps that sound like they’re coming out of an 8-bit micro as they get blended with twee melodies, but then you’re thrown into “Halcyon”; a track with The Upbeats that’s more, well, upbeat, and changes the mood whilst retaining a distinct “Noisia” identity. It’s like the group decided that as this would be their final album they could have a little more fun. That sense of fun – the desire to have more variety and defy expectations – might disappoint those who come into the album expecting a particular sound, but generally I like the result. If you follow Noisia’s updates outside of their main studio album releases you might recoginse some returning tracks: for instance, “Shibuya Pet Store” from the “No Sleep Til… Japan (and Iceland)” Kickstarter project, or “Pleasure Model” (we covered the music video back in 2018.) A particularly bold tune is “The Hole Pt.1”; a complex “17/8” piece whose rhythm creates an unusual but compelling vibe of its own (and almost feels like a musical puzzle as you try to pin down that time signature…)

Worthy finale

If this is the last we hear of Noisia, it’s a great way to go out. I would easily rate this up there with Split The Atom, and the collaborations offer a lot of variety. Beyond Noisia’s “Closer”, I know that the members have individual projects going on (in particular I follow Thijs de Vlieger’s work a lot via his Twitter account @ThysMusic – but I know that Nik Roos and Martijn van Sonderen have accounts at @niknoisia and @ensernoisia respectively), so hopefully you can still enjoy their work in various new ways.

Noisia’s “Closer” – where to go

If you want to check out Noisia’s “Closer” for yourself, it’s available now on most good streaming platforms, you can buy the MP3s from Beatport or Bandcamp, and you can order pre-order the CD or vinyl box (ETA June and December respectively) at the Vision Recordings store.