Forced Extrovert is a landmark release from Maddy Strom. The record bridges the gap between a multitude of styles and genres, synthesising inspirations and originalities into a singular six track EP that feels like a stepping stone in the larger space of hyper pop music. It constantly oscillates between expressions and feelings as well, with some pieces on the album being gleaming dance anthems and other being strangely melancholic escapes into the deepest parts of your conscience. Opening with the titular piece that feels like a messy haze of strange sounds, Maddy Storm lets you enter her world with a blurry and bizarre opener. She’s actually reversed a sample of the album’s third track, Spit Me Out, for it.
As ‘Mattress’ starts to come alive, the scale of the record’s imagination becomes more readily discernible. There’s a level of experimentation into a more raw, gritty, almost garage reimagination towards the more dominant hyper-pop sound. Of course, the beeps and bops of ‘Last Resort’ already have made Maddy a noteworthy name in the space. The single is undoubtedly the most immediately accessible and addictive tune to her name. But it’s perhaps in the rather slowed down and haunting energy that a track like ‘Natural Disaster’ evokes that I feel Maddy Storm has stolen the show.
Having already made waves with her earlier single ‘Dizzying Heights’ and the album’s very own ‘Last Resort’, Forced Extrovert is Maddy Storm really strutting herself for audiences to witness. She’s decisively her own, carving out a sonic lane for herself that’s currently not just unoccupied, but being paved by her, and her alone.