PENGSHUi - EP ii - The Singles, Reviewed

PENGSHUi - EP ii - The Singles, Reviewed

I imagine like many people, I was introduced to PENGSHUi’s music through a brilliant remix of The Prodigy’s ‘Light Up The Sky’ in 2018, but after recently deciding to check out their own stuff, I was very impressed. Their mix of raucously heavy, crushing metal with hyped up, gnarly rap flows and electronic textures almost felt like a UK take on nu-metal, while also being more distinctive and, quite simply, a lot heavier in their approach. So when I saw that they had a new EP out in just a few weeks, March 10th to be exact, I jumped at the opportunity to cover it. So, let’s have a look at the singles.

Madman

Talk about setting out your stall because this track does it nigh on perfectly. The instrumental pulls absolutely no punches, with one of the absolute gnarliest basslines I’ve heard so far this year, complemented by some really nice, snappy drums. Then, when those wobbly electronic textures come in and the chorus hits with those monstrous walls of riffs, it feels like being hit by a bus in the best way possible. The fact it managed to induce an involuntary face scrunch says it all. The verse instrumental is also really cool, with the bass and drums being complemented by low, rumbling bass textures of an almost dubstep-ish variety. These could have sounded incredibly tacky, but actually go over really well, as do all the other various dark synths and TB-303 acid effects throughout. As a final note, unsurprisingly, the half-time breakdown the track ends on is nothing short of great, with the acid textures riding seamlessly across a bashing, metalcore beat. Great stuff. The vocals are similarly savage, with Illaman’s vocals on the chorus carrying the unhinged viscerality of a rabid dog, and it’s amazing. Equally, his rap flows on the verses are equal parts confident, animated, and similarly crazed and complement the beat very well. The only negatives really are the production and lyrics. Again, while I like the instrumental, the vocals are recorded in such a raw, claustrophobic way to where it can drown it out occasionally and sound quite harsh, not really in a good way. On top of that, the lyrics seem to pull their subject matter straight from the Jared Leto Joker ‘I’m a dark, unhinged, crazy guy” playbook, and so can be a bit cringey at times. That being said, overall this is definitely a case of the numerous positives far outweighing the few minor gripes.

What !!!

This one is definitely more of a straight rap track, but at the same time carries much of the same appeals. Instrumentally, the glitchy electronic textures giving way to a deep, gnarly bassline and tight, snappy drums sounds really cool and raw, qualities only enhanced in the chorus where the distorted bassline takes centre stage along with some really nice ethereal atmospheres. The outro also works similarly well, with another classic halftime groove complimented by various siren sounds, whirring electronics and vocal chops that altogether provides a really nice intensity. While the lyrics are more typical to the style this time around, and I would normally find someone’s braggadocious lyrics bigging up their rap skills with a tough, “don’t step to me” vibe to be quite tiresome, I think Illaman has the confidence and ruthless intensity to carry it off quite well, although lines like “beast mode activated" will raise eyebrows regardless. As another comment on his delivery, there are actually points where he utilises the same guttural metal vocals as on the previous track, resulting in some of the track’s most exhilarating moments. Furthermore, the intense, shouted gang vocals on the chorus sound like an homage to some of the best early grime tracks à la Dizzie Rascal’s ‘Stop Dat’, which I’m a big fan of. Quite literally the only real critique I have is that Illaman can suffer from trying to fit too many words in one bar, and so can sound a little clumsy from time to time. But, like the former, the pros far far far outweigh the cons.

So, while PENGSHUi’s blend of sounds may not appeal to everyone, especially due to the prominence with which each is incorporated, it appeals to me to a very potent degree indeed. There might be a few minor quibbles here or there, but I genuinely wouldn't be surprised if the full EP ended up being one of my favourite releases all year. A serious feat for a band I only started listening to today, but surely that only shows their strength.