Vladislav Delay's 2020 release
Rakka was an unrelenting set of menacing post-industrial noisescapes meant to convey the barrenness of the frigid arctic tundra, yet tapping into a deeper level of isolation, displacement, and rage. A year later, he released a sequel, and while it's just as intense as the first
Rakka, somehow these brutalist audio storms seem less hellish, and even bright and optimistic. The presence of more pronounced beats, such as the staggered thumps throughout "Raaa" and the shattering near-breakbeats of "Raaha," contribute a sense of excitement that wasn't present on the first volume, seemingly burning with anticipation as well as fear. The soft, drifting ambient fuzz of "Rakas" provides a brief moment of reflection midway through the album, before the erratic clattering and buzzing bass of "Ranno" returns the album to its more charged-up, kinetic state. Final track "Rapine" is particularly ecstatic, ascending toward the light in search of a nervous breakthrough. ~ Paul Simpson