SKRILLEX - ‘DON’T GET TOO CLOSE’

Writer’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Skrillex has wasted no time making an impact to start the year. Following the release of his first album of the year ‘Quest For Fire’, he is already following it up with ‘Don’t Get Too Close’ - as well as performing a massive sold out show at Madison Square Garden with Fourtet and FredAgain.

‘Don’t Get Too Close’ is the opposite of ‘Quest For Fire’. There’s less of an emphasis on the heavy dance tunes that would fill the room at a rave and more on easy listening crossovers with big name features such as Justin Bieber and Trippie Red. The record starts with an alternate version of the ‘Quest For Fire’ opener ‘Don’t Get Too Close’ - indicating the change in direction for the record.

‘Way Back’ follows, a track we reviewed back on initial release, with features from the aforementioned Trippie Red and an intoxicating verse from PinkPantheress, it’s been on repeat. ‘Selecta’ features a more danceable groove with some smooth vocals from BEAM before the album features two Bladee features on ‘Ceremony’ and ‘Real Spring’. The latter here also featuring Yung Lean. They’re a pair of easy cloud rap tracks with catchy hooks however i prefer ‘Real Spring’ with some extra quirk and pitching added to the final portion.

Skrillex enlists rap legend Kid Cudi for ‘Summertime’, Cudi’s lowkey vocals have always worked well over more electronic dance production and this is no exception. Corbin and Chief Keef feature on ‘Bad For Me’ - instead of being a loud trap banger Keef is normally known for this is more of a tropical tune that sounds liek it would fit on any summer playlist.

‘Don’t Go’ with Justin Bieber and Don Toliver doesn’t hit the high peak it could considering all those involved however the Don Toliver feature on the back end is intoxicating as usual - Don is slowly becoming one of the most consistent feature artists in the game.

The album ends with a solid triple run. ‘Don’t Get Too Close’ is the longest track here, coming in at over 4 minutes and features Bibi Bourelly with a heavenly performance before the track transitions effortlessly into ‘Mixed Signals’ featuring Swae Lee.

Bibi Bourelly returns on the final track ‘Painting Rainbows’, and is a more upfront banger than the title track. Bibi has a natural charisma that is complimented by the afrobeat-inspired production. The track also features a nod to the closer from ‘Quest For Fire’ potentially being the sample that was used to make that track - ‘Still Here (With The One That I Came With)’.

‘Don’t Get Too Close’ shows Skrillex’s versatility as an artist contrasting well with ‘Quest For Fire’. It’s a little short, coming in at 12 tracks with most of them being under 3 minutes in length but the tracks that are here are solid.