"We Go Down" uses militarized trap percussion and still packs a punishing punch with primal monster dubstep growls that would have been impossible for top 40 not that long ago. t's the album's roots in electronic dance music, more specifically dubstep and bass music, that elucidates this post-modern attitude with dubstep growls, big drops, and absolutely electric energy.Even their take on the big room house sound, "We Are One" takes on a warrior-like, tribal energy reminiscent of other big room bombs like Knife Party's "LRAD" or Carnage & Tony Junior's "Michael Jordan" with it's own added vocal twist courtesy of the sisters.ĭetractors will ignore any potential for deeper substance by pointing out the lyrics. Tracks like "Dancing With The Devil," their collaboration with former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, exudes a raw aggression as the analog rock drums are juxtaposed against snarling electro Skrillified-'tude. And there's no question that "attitude" permeates throughout the record's entirety, through not only the vocals, but the drum work and bass. In simpler terms, it has an emotion and attitude that current pop music just doesn't have. Philosopher Jonathan Kramer theorized in his essay "The Nature and Origins of Musical Postmodernism" that post-modern music is not a product of historical period or a even particular style, but an "attitude" as it relates to "modern" (re: pop) music. What makes Krewella so special? Frame Get Wet against its contemporaries and it's an example of post-modern music. With that said, in a time where the dance music's power as a pop culture force is in question, Krewella's debut album is not only the most aggressive pop record in years, but a timeless record and a cultural milestone for dance music, cementing the legitimacy of the EDM age.
With Krewella, there's a primal if not animalistic sense of unbridled emotion reminiscent of the hard rock heyday or recent bands like Paramore something that current pop music, like Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" lacks. But is it more than just a raunchy soundtrack - is it more than insanely infectious pop music? Compare the record with any number of recent top 40 hits or critical pop darlings like Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" or Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Thrift Shop" and there's clearly a distinct difference in attitude and tone deeper then musical style or genre.
In the same way that Blink-182 once galvanized a generation of party-hardy youngings and pissed off and worried their parents with their raunchy, if not at times cringe-worthy angst-ridden brand of pop punk music, Krewella's Get Wet no doubt fulfills the same void that Blink did - albeit with a face full of bass. Chicago's Krewella have finally arrived with the release of their major label debut album, Get Wet.