Historically, the brand of music that flooded out of northern England stood out as an amalgamation of style, creativity in difficult conditions, positive rhythms, and, above all else, a self-assured attitude. Bands such as New Order, Stone Roses, and Dire Straits are generally where the mind goes when thinking of this part of the world, and thanks to artists like 96 Back, we can be glad to see this spirit is still flourishing but now through the form of future club and bleep music. tender, exit by the Sheffield-born, now Manchester resident, is a thorough collection of tracks pulling from seemingly never-ending sources of different club music inspirations such as IDM, dubstep, future garage, and grime.
What emerges as the final product sits between in and post-club music with lashings of UK nostalgia and the haunting emotional chords of dub music. Evan Majumdar-Swift has been putting his best foot forward from early on in his career with performances on Boiler Room from the budding age of 18. Since then, he’s worked with powerhouse names of the new club sound, such as Happa, Special Request, and Skee Mask. Proximity and guidance from quality artists, developing in front of a large audience combined with raw talent and work, are the core ingredients breathing life into this release.
This layered release is his sixth album to date, comprising twelve tracks that reveal the depth he’s capable of taking his sound. These are tracks with a crisp and modern feel demonstrated in the cleanliness of the production, the lack of 4×4 beats, and how each one weaves a journey through the chaotic dancefloor-centric escapism into reflective illustrations. It’s vibrant music showing bleep has moved past being described as simply amplified video game music. References to the past with a firm grasp of the present-day abilities of non-traditional electronic music allow the listener a comprehensive experience.
Emotions of the tender and somber variety exhume themselves across songs like “This Wants To Love,” where steady synths, careful clicks, and a fragile vocal loop echoing the title do a lot with seemingly very little. It’s after-the-fact music, post-party reflection to listen to when the lights and noise have evaporated, and you sit alone, left with a yearning for more but the acceptance that it’s all over. This innate gentleness is featured in “Viscous,” containing a delicate harmony amidst the crashing and complex IDM-esque drums, keeping a steady inner peace seemingly reflective of our own lived experience of trying to hold our own against the chaos surrounding us.
Within the small delicate touches across tender, exit is where 96 Back really shines. “Tongues iii” comprises direct and forced lyrics that ascend into high notes floating on a backdrop of non-abrasive and slow phasers, culminating in this cute vocal sample of “Going out to clubs by yourself” that stays with you long after the song has ended. Furthermore, intricate details such as the tiny sounds of elements played in reverse at the start of “Do Something to Forget” although minute increase the tangibility of the the track with the nostalgic hit of a VHS on rewind.
Emotive resonance and subtleness are not the only elements holding weight in this release. The relevance of the club space is never too far away in most tracks. However, it is presented in a form that makes it far more accessible outside the dark rooms of Friday and Saturday nights. “Calcified” opens with glinting nursery mobile sounds, then dives straight into the shrieks of quintessential Dubstep in an organic and palatable manner than the original genre as they land in softer waves on the listener. With further nods to the endless selection of dance music genres, “Bxtter” sounds like a deconstructed early 2000s trance hit that develops with more complex drum patterns holding tension and attention with high string plucks elevating on a continuously upward trajectory. There’s something nice about being reminded of the music of your past but in a different form when it’s this good. Not nostalgia; maybe more of an understanding of the interconnectivity between all genres of electronic music and how they can riff off each other.
The bleep genre is in safe hands with 96 Back, who shows fresh interpretations are still possible with skilled creators. In 2021, he told DJ Mag, “I can do heavy and serious and sad.” While technically true, his own statement limits what we see in tender, exit. What’s here is further developed—soft and gentle, exciting but composed. It’s an album that wants to take up space in all rooms, from the weekend’s highs to Wednesday evenings’ monotony bus commute. The phrase big thing coming soon is irrelevant at this point, the big things have come and gone for someone so early in what is already an illustrious career. Maturity with a self-actualized sound is the hill 96 Back stands on.
