2021 REVIEWS: BUTTON MAKER – BUTTON MAKER

Released on the appropriately named Hyperpop Records, Button Maker’s latest, self-titled EP is a treat for longtime fans of her incredibly progressive brand of pop music.

Producer entirely by Button herself, these five tracks offer a greater degree of diversity than the Demon Pop founder has ever presented us with before. ‘Arsonist’ begins as typical Button fare with its snappy, pulsating drums and layered vocals but soon evolves into a guitar-driven dirge that sounds as destructive as its name would imply. As she erases all of our expectations within the first two minutes of her new EP, Button’s musical self-immolation is fascinating to behold. ‘Satellite’ also incorporates guitars, dabbling in 2000’s pop-punk while remaining grounded in the emotional weight of her lyrical content. It’s the EP’s catchiest song by far, featuring impressively live-sounding instrumental work and some of her tightest songwriting to date.

‘Reverse Rebirth’’s biggest strength is that it reminds us that Button can craft a purely pop epic with immense ease. The morose lyrics and distant keys that greet listeners initially only last for half of the track’s runtime, making way for a textured, future bass-inspired breakdown. Button is very good at conveying emotion with her production, the tumultuous structure of the track an obvious metaphor for turmoil that inspires the song’s lyrical content. Even ‘Interlude’; which is the shortest track here; sees the singer smothered in a whirlwind of glitch insanity after a brief vocal segment. The near-incomprehensible lyrics aren’t the centrepiece of her music at all, although she’s a supremely talented vocalist the thing that allows her to truly stand out in such a saturated scene is unparalleled mastery of modern pop’s subversive production qualities.

When other artists show up to join Button here, the results are pretty gratifying. Fellow Demon Poppers Polygon Cove and Nachito add killer verses to ‘Better News’, the EP’s summery, melodic masterpiece. It’s apt that this project is self-titled, it truly feels like a standout release within the artist’s catalogue. Whether you’re craving more of the underground scene’s Kerrang! nostalgia or seeking ambitious, cutting edge pop, Button Maker has you covered.

Stream the EP below.