Nanoray steps up their game and creates a banger-heavy album.
There’s something that I really appreciate with Nanoray’s set of albums from the past year. Atmospheric drum and bass that has these glassy, echoey textures to them that remind me of certain video game soundtracks like Star Ocean and especially Phantasy Star Online, balanced out with rhythms that are pretty and bombastic.
Their newest output here goes for a different vibe. The textures are still there, but the rhythms and mixing are amped up to reinforce the explosive, banger-heavy tones that it’s going for like the tracks ‘NEKOMATA’97’, ‘SALMON CANNON’, and ‘Hellrunner’. There is still differentiation to the dynamics and sound design to give each banger distinct from each other as well as provide a sense of breathing room on the back half. However, I am not so sure how long Nanoray will keep the sound going as it starts to feel a bit stale, feel a bit derivative especially when certain tracks in the midsection sound like similar sounding bangers that took off the last decade, especially with this kind of drum and bass.
As it ends on a pristine note, I am wondering and hoping that NANORAY keeps doing different things with their pronounced sound in this field of Atmospheric Drum and Bass. It tries to be more and does execute its intent in a potent way, but I’m waiting for NANORAY to truly break out and deliver a really great project.
Favorite Tracks: NEKOMATA’97, Transform, SALMON CANNON, Hellrunner, Awake
Least Favorite Track: Tempest