Carδamo’s latest record is an exploration of self, of a journey that’s deeply personal and strikingly vulnerable. Delivered in a hyper-futuristic electronic pop avatar, ANDROGENISE is a surreal and hypnotic expedition that’s profound and powerful from back to front. The record’s core is Carδano’s own identity that takes front and centre and marries the experience and emotion of each record. Drawing from their experience as neurodivergent, queer, and the consequences and struggles of being marginalised for that identity, the record is an unraveling of those emotions through a colourfully loud and resplendent record that just bursts with noise and melody from back to front.
The titular track is a fiery flourish of an opener that contains multitudes within itself. Impossible to categorise through conventional narratives and conceptualisations of genres, Carδamo brings this refreshingly upbeat hyper-pop core performance to such gleaming light. As you move into NBNBNBN, the pulsating raucousness is elevated even further. That constant derision and pain that the queer community faces on the day to day is spoken about without melancholy, and instead turned on its head to be a celebration. The sheer pulse and freneticism of the beat on this song is unreal, an unfettered splurge of so many beats that hits such a perfect note during the vocals that are instantly catchy.
This is a record that’s innovative and imaginative throughout, a powerhouse of modern electronic production that’s path breaking in its approach. The power and aggression brought on the heaviness of GIVE IT THE JOOS is overwhelming, the subtle composition and borderline ridiculous lyricism of “frogs are more precious than diamonds” offers a markedly different style altogether.
It’s impossible to surmise this record or distil it into something immediately understandable. It’s raw as hell in its expression, vulnerable and unfiltered at its core emotional bedrock. But it’s masterfully produced, a processing style that’s a hyper-pop masterpiece. The future of pop is headed well.