Baby, Were Ascending＜Colored Vinyl＞

Baby, Were Ascending couldnt be a more fitting title for HAAis debut full-length. The Australian-born producer and DJs rise has been stratospheric since her first tracks appeared in 2017, and she already scored an Essential Mix of the Year, released several acclaimed EPs, and became a festival mainstay by the time her first album arrived in 2022. Her music constantly feels like its in a state of elevation, and even when she experiments with fragmented sound design and abstract textures, the tracks always lock into a steady propulsion and head for a blissful, enlightened state, re-creating the rush of tuning into an amazing pirate radio broadcast or finding euphoria at a generator-powered rave deep in the woods. Attempting to put these feelings into words, HAAis album features more vocals than her previous recordings. "Human Sound" begins with freewheeling poetic verse by Kai-Isaiah Jamal before HAAi takes over with her own ecstasy-seeking lyrics. "Biggest Mood Ever" deviates from HAAis signature 140 BPM pound, instead laying slow thumps with faster, ricocheting breaks, as heavenly strings swell around Alexis Taylors heavily reverbed vocals. "Purple Jelly Disc" (with Obi Franky) is HAAis version of a peak-time banger, with pitched-down samples instructing the listener to "have the time of your life" sliced among the slamming beats, and then it all reaches a higher level with the refrain "Its a feeling I just cant escape." The albums title track, co-produced by another master of consciousness-expanding dance music, Jon Hopkins, rockets through the clouds, yet HAAis vocals are coolly elated and entirely free of stress or earthly concerns. After extending the moment with the lengthy instrumental "Orca," "Tardigrade" is a comedown in the form of a post-industrial ballad. Even with volatile, crunching beats, the song still feels relaxing due to its airy synths and assuring vocals. Adding to an already impressive list of achievements, HAAis first full-length is a stunner. ~ Paul Simpson