SkulkPartitionRoot - Dystopia in Pink

Industrial rock and dance project SkulkPartitionRoot (hereby mentioned as SPR) got their start in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1999. In the 2000's the band played throughout Brazil in many cities and festivals and went through quite a few line-up changes throughout the years. Eventually SPR moved their HQ to Calgary, AB, Canada and released the 2018 single 'Time-bomb' alongside a music video for it. This year saw the band release a steady trickle of singles such as 'I Found Your Name On PornHub' and 'Meca-Orga' which teased their next album, the previous being released in 2006. And, well, for starters, it is a bit of fresh air. 

"Dystopia in Pink" forgoes the standard dystopia setting of bleak buildings, men in uniform, cops beating protesters, or the affluent affair of cyberpunk tropes. Instead, what we're given is, well, what the title states. The cover art is adorned with a pink, smiley, emoji-looking thing with the band's name taking the place of the smile. Coming out of it are spider like legs and its happy demeanor is most likely in contrast to its programmed orders - which are likely to harm, maim, and kill anyone who dares oppose the fictional world's government that SPR has built. Anyway, as I always state, the cover art does not give or take away any points on the album. It's just a fun little thing to explore. Onto the music then. 



SPR describe themselves perfectly as industrial rock dance music; as soon as 'Top of the World' is played I was introduced to beat driven electronic rock. The guitars are crunchy but not to the point that they extend into metal territory. This is music that you can perform a light mosh to without getting any of your friends harmed. One of the best songs on the album is an instrumental piece called 'Groomzhein'. I found the stomping bass in the beginning as a prelude for the destruction that's yet to come. It's slowly built upon with drum'n'bass influenced percussion swaying in. Excited electronic trickles and screeching guitars build upon the base of the song as well. I also found 'Red Hot Magma', yet another instrumental, to be a peak point for SPR on the album. It's quite chill in comparison to the rest of the album and sounds like a song you would find at an underground club in the future. Various experimental samples are littered throughout, ensuring that the song doesn't get stale or repetitive. Though I have positive notes about these songs, I also ran into some trouble with "Dystopia in Pin". 

"Dystopia in Pink" has two major issues. The first of which comes from the vocals. Taking a look at the track 'A Machine to Contact You', the beat is fast and well laid out. However, the vocal delivery seems to struggle feeling out the rhythm. 'The Gunk Machine' was another turn off for me where I found that the inhalations between lines was ineffective and quite annoying. This is not to say that SPR can't deliver vocals well. Looking at the track 'My Mind is Gone', they do a great job at balancing their music and vocals together. It fits well, it's aggressive when the music is aggressive, and the voice has a bit of a growl attached. That's how it should be done. However, the vocals are inconsistent throughout the album forming a hit or miss playground.

The second issue I had with the album was the overall production quality. I felt as if the music sounded a bit muddy. Dissecting 'A Machine to Contact You' once more, I felt as if the explosive punch the song was going for wasn't as defined as it should have been. Comparing SPR to another industrial rock dance group, such as Dope Stars Inc., can show the cracks that form in SPR's routine. This is not a deal breaker but when it comes down to it, I'd rather find a band in the same genre with better quality than this. 

This leaves me to place "Dystopia in Pink" in a ranking. And what I have to say is this: SPR has a wonderful, wonderful foundation with their music. They know how to use their instruments and the varying styles between songs such as 'Red Hot Magma' and 'We Lost' shows that SPR has more than a few tricks up their sleeve. While the vocals are a downside, they don't always sound bad. I think a refocus and a doubled-down effort in that department would do wonders. Gaining a veteran producer on the outside of the band might help them with the muddy quality I talked about earlier, but it isn't so bad that it makes the album unbearable. Instead, I find myself optimistic for the future of SPR and can't wait to see how they'll improve down the line. 

This review was commissioned through our Ko-fi page. Feel free to check it out for review, interview, and premiere opportunities. 
Dec 13 2020