• Dark and ominous Hardcore
• Screechy, upbeat, and downright bizarre
• Chaotic breakbeat at the end

Honestly, when I first experienced this, it downright blew my mind— it HAD to be talked about! Just A Gent and Hailure delivered something so intriguing and special that I or anyone else would probably never see it coming; it’s a style and sound that I never encountered before listening to dance music. That being said, let’s dive right in.

“Not What U Think” begins with an eerie and ominous atmosphere, it sent shivers down my spine during the first five seconds of the track: a testament to how genially crafted it is. This escalation in tension with this foreboding and sinister introduction is a perfect complement to the rest of the track. There’s a sense of urgency, a sort of anticipation of havoc ahead during the intro and subsequent buildup. The rapid tempo accompanied by the kicks enhances this feeling even more.

Right before the drop, a spine-tingling robotic voice states:

“REALITY IS NOT WHAT U THINK, DON’T BE A SLAVE TO IT.”

And then the drop hits.

As the beat drops, the main lead introduced isn’t the vanilla sort. High-pitched and screechy, it can be off-putting and ruin the whole song, but personally, the usage of this lead in this context is genius. It perfectly matches the overall threatening, turbulent, and apocalyptic nature. Applying the piercing lead along with the Hardcore drop catapults the track into new heights; also accompanied by a very prominent and brutal Reese bass, extending into the second part of the drop with a chaotic Breakbeat DnB sequence.

While equipped with only one drop, it’s sectioned into two parts with similar designs. The subsequent Breakbeat section is more hectic and frenzied compared to the Hardcore section. It’s a superb finishing touch to the already restless and violent setup, using multi-layered drums accompanied by the infamous lead from the Hardcore drop.

“Not What U Think” comes to a close at two minutes, riding a fine line between being unlistenable and jarring to entertaining and hard-hitting. This gives it a high-replay value, in my opinion. It’s a perfect addition to the existing Hardcore/Hardstyle scene and will appeal to underground listeners because of the experimental details and genuine sound design, capable of breaking set standards.

You can listen to “Not What U Think” here:

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