POLYPHIA

New Levels New Devils RUDE

Texan tech-wizards weave a rather bewildering trap

Having started their days treading a similarly progressive path as djent peers Animals As leaders and Intervals, instrumental heavyweights Polyphia look set to move far beyond the tech sphere with New Levels New Devils. While debut Muse was full of riff-toting solos and sophomore Renaissance a kaleidoscope of buoyant pop grooves, New Levels…’ vivid sonic palette paints a scene awash with experimental dynamism. Proving to be the antithesis of their monikers, Nasty and Bad deftly weave jazzy (djazzy?) freak-outs with virtuosic fretwork courtesy of guitarists Tim Henson and Scott lePage. Breakdowns are replaced by bass-heavy trap elements (So Strange) while the dark trip-hop thump of G.O.A.T – which nods to forward-thinking EDM – will have heads nodding in unison. Some will be rendered confounded, the remainder converted, for what the Texans unleash here is gloriously bewildering. FOR FANS OF: CHON, COVET, INTERVALS

SOPHIE MAUGHAN