I have been sitting with “maintenance mode” for a few days now, and honestly, it is a weirdly uncomfortable experience in the best possible way. We are used to “breakdown” albums and we are used to “triumph” albums, but Melissa Geurts has managed to capture the boring, itchy, quiet middle ground. It is the sound of your head being healed while your body is still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Coming off her 2024 debut system crash, Melissa is leaning even further into what she calls “nervous system anthems.” This isn’t high-energy club music, despite the heavy Bass House and Techno influences in the low end. Her sound is more Alt-Pop slowed down to a crawl: intense, deep, and deeply personal.

The production here is incredibly crisp, there is a precision to the chaos. Everything from the vocoder layers to the unexpected bass clarinet (yes, really) feels intentional. It is “emotional damage you can dance to,” but the dance is a slow, methodical sway in a dark room. Across the 43 minutes, Melissa moves between English, French, and Dutch (a nod to her heritage). It is a multi-layered, polyglot experience that feels like someone finally finding their own voice after years of silence.

I’ll be honest: some might find the pace too slow. It requires a certain amount of patience to let these basslines breathe. But if you’re the type of person who likes their electronic music with a side of existential dread and high-end production, this is a total win. It is rare to find an artist who can make staying still sound this intense.

Here’s my personal top 3:

talk to a wall
80/100

This is the track where the “maintenance” concept really hits home. The bassline here is thick and muddy in a way that reminds me of early Techno, but it is paired with this incredible bass performance that feels like a physical weight. Lyrically, it is about the “kids conversation” and the exhaustion of having to justify your life choices to people who aren’t really listening. WThe way the track just sits in its own heaviness is brilliant.

maintenance mode
81/100

The title track is, hands down, the heart of the record. It captures that “suspicious” feeling of things finally being okay. The rhythm is agonizingly slow, built on a deep, pulsing bassline that glitches here and there. The production stays minimal, letting the glitchy textures mirror that feeling of being unassigned in your own life. It is addictive and haunting.

i think i deleted it
84/100

If you need a masterclass in setting boundaries through sound design, this is it. It has this dark, industrial-lite pulse that really got me. Melissa’s vocal delivery is icy and confident. Framed by these sharp, distorted synth stabs that make the personality” of the track really shine, this is probably the most Electro moment on the album, but it never loses that Alt-Pop intimacy.

What's Your Reaction?

0In Love1Happy0Not Sure0OMG0Angry0Sad