SMLE, Rival & Neoni team up for a mega-collaboration
SMLE & Neoni debut on Future Generation
‘Up In Flames’ is an excellent example of a collaboration we didn’t expect or even know we needed until it presented itself. The Grammy-nominated duo SMLE, who’s made name for themselves over the years on Monstercat and Lowly with their unique and vibrant productions, teamed up with one of the most emerging melodic trap artists Rival, who’s taken the scene by storm with his distinct releases on NCS, Future Generation and more, while amassing an impressive 150M plays collectively. Adding to the mix the highly-talented sisters Sidney and Caitlin Powell, better known as the American duo Neoni, who gave the collaboration a fresh breathe of air with their deep, alternative pop-influenced approach to singing and songwriting, taking the already absorbing instrumental into completely new heights.
Sidney from Neoni explains the theme followingly: “Up in Flames is about that lingering fear that you can’t escape when you feel like you’re finally winning. It’s about that small voice in your head that keeps telling you that everything you’ve fought for is all about to fall apart, filling you with the paranoia that haunts you constantly demanding a perfection that you can’t achieve.”
Right from the very first seconds, the listener is being immersed to the fascinating mood of the first break, driven by its complex, yet addictive and expertly created percussion pattern and Neoni’s beautifully haunting vocals. Yes, for starters it can sound a bit mind-boggling, but once you get hold on the rhythm, you can’t stop listening to it! In the breaks, you can hear the melodic production approach by SMLE, who’s been reforming the future bass genre into something totally new and refreshing by taking influences from indie dance, r&b and pop music, making their productions stand out from the masses. However, ‘Up In Flames’ presents a whole new side of the duo to the public. Going towards the drop, the break and build keep building up the momentum while captivating the listener into its story, before the surprisingly heavy and powerful trap-infused drop kicks in, and this is where Rival’s input is clearly hearable. The drop is all about its roaring, aggressive leads with a darker melody pattern, which is pretty typical to the German dj/producer’s style, whose most successful productions have tended to revolve around a dark and aggressive trap style. All in all, the track is constructed and balanced in such a fantastic fashion, and it’s needless to state ’Up In Flames’ being one of the most interesting trap releases of the summer.
Watch the official lyric video on our Youtube channel:
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