Release Date: 24 October 2025
Song Count: 14
Rating: 7.2/10
Description:
A project of many labels and transformations, Machine Girl has been in the scene of extreme electronic music for close to 14 years now, dancing on the line between technical innovation and unbridled chaos and noise within their work. Created by New York's Matt Stephenson and later taking in two other members, the solo-project-turned-band has released a whole array of music with varying styles and levels of extremity and have 11 albums to their name - the latest one being today's object of focus, PsychoWarrior: MG Ultra X, a work pulled in many directions but one that yet refuses to crumble or fall apart through the many routes and turns it takes.
Describing the sonical composition of the tracks within this album is a challenge in of itself - besides loud, fast beats, hard-to-comprehend vocals filled to the brim with aggression, emotion and power that tether between spoken word, yelling and at times even growling akin to metal genres, complex electronic production and mixing, and a general lack of will to conform to musical norms in any way, there is little tying the songs together in that regard. The general picture PsychoWarrior: MG Ultra X paints is brash, unfiltered, expressive and simply just wishing to be itself; it bounces between sounding hyper yet melodic and being coated with noise that transcends rationality and reason, and uncaring of how wide its range of appeal is with its rather niche musical palette, it fully leans into its sound and experimentation. From unconventional time signatures to meticulous sampling and the use of all kinds of different electronic sound to build up its tracks, the album is down to use everything it has in its arsenal to piece itself together.
Through the glitchy, distorted soundscapes and raw, loud voices, PsychoWarrior: MG Ultra X stands out amongst many works in the music scene as a work that is tough to acquire a proper taste for to many unfamiliar with extreme electronic genres such as digital hardcore, drum & bass, jungle or breakcore, but once looked at with a different lense, shows itself as an extremely expressive piece, and also a unconventionally catchy and enjoyable listen. Amongst Machine Girl's many dabbles into different sorts of wacky and experimental digital mixing, this shot of theirs seems to have largely paid off overall, and to think that this is merely a small fraction of their whole assortment of works gets one excited to witness what else there is to explore with their involvement in it.
(Thanks for the recommendation!)