I have always enjoyed ILLENIUM's work, especially some of his biggest hits in the pop industry like Feel Good and Good Things Fall Apart, so I was more than happy to await his self-titled and spin it on arrival. I was not ready to be so blown away by this selection of works, and be so absolutely captivated by this new rendition of sounds from the electronic artist.
ILLENIUM started out as a very pop-adjacent artist boasting a very distinct future bass sound that outlined his rise in popularity, but as early as 2020, we saw him dip his toes in more alternative and intense genre fusions, first notably with his collaborative single Feel Something, working with Excision and I Prevail of dubstep/bass music and metalcore fame respectively. Let me just say, my jaw dropped a bit when I saw the guest list for the self-titled. It is such a diverse range of artists, covering the entire spectrum from pop to metalcore: established popstars like MAX and Skylar Grey, new era pop phenomenons like JVKE and Teddy Swims, modern punk rock-influenced pop names like jxdn and American Teeth (who's 2020 single Gemini I quite enjoyed), famous pop punkers Avril Lavigne, Travis Barker and All Time Low, or beastly metalcore bands Spiritbox and Motionless In White, as well as long-time collaborator Said The Sky.
I was more than excited to get through the record. I have always enjoyed his euphoric and massive future bass sound design, and EDM was my first love, but seeing the possibilities in front of me with all the genre blending, I could not be more excited. Seeing Shivering on the tracklist meant that anything that heavy was fair game, and everything in between was expected.
Sixteen tracks is a lot, but I think it quite expressively covers his entire bandwidth as a producer. The pop-leaning tracks are some of his best works yet, lending a hand of some of the biggest rising names in the industry to create ecstatic tunes with great moments and catchy lyrics, with a consistency that is practically unheard of. The more alternative tracks are super fun, blending the collaborator's sound very intensely into the soundscape and leaning into their expertise. Eyes Wide Shut very strongly features Travis Barker's iconic drumming style and Avril's pop punk vocals, Shivering and Nothing Ever After sees Courtney and Chris getting to throw full-blown screams on an otherwise pop-centric mainstream record, which is a great step for metalcore. Including Back To You, it's great to see that ILLENIUM's collaborations with bands actually involve the whole band, rather than just lending the vocalist. His solo tracks also astound me sonically, whether it be the vibrant and enthralling soundscapes of Starfall or the wonderful tribute remixes of Bring Me The Horizon's Drown and Rihanna's Stay, the former of which gave me goosebumps the moment I heard the familiar melody on my first listen.
I think the most amazing thing about ILLENIUM's self-titled record is how consistently pristine it is, despite how diverse the sounds are. Every song has been refined to near perfection, conscious of blend of genres and appealing to many expectations whilst remaining unique and fun. And at its core, it's undeniably ILLENIUM. His touch is evident in every song, even when the focus is on the collaborator. It's great that he's transcended past the skill ceiling of his earlier works by going above and beyond in collaboration choices and exploring new electronic territory, it ultimately makes this new record such a refreshing experience compared to his previous records that would get a bit repetitive partway through. Definitely his best record yet, and dare I say that if he keeps going in the right direction with the alternative influences, he will only reach new heights.
Rating: 9/10
9. Insanity (feat. American Teeth)