Shapeshifter marks the eighth catalogue entry on Who Is Paula? – and it’s far more than a case of clever naming. With each release, we learn a little more about the mysterious protagonist, who on this EP seems ready to float out the window — transformed, yet sonically intact. This metamorphosis unfolds across five electro tracks that take a different route from the genre’s introspective minimalists such as VC-118A. The focus here lies less on dense atmosphere and more on floor-oriented precision.
The opener »Underpass« hammers syncopations into the grid; acid surges and chords remain subtly in the background. Australian producer Featherstone opts for a dry, sometimes brittle aesthetic without losing sight of the genre’s key rituals — those precisely placed chords that keep the tension alive. The title track sinks deeper into the acid mire, its vocal samples echoing like ghostly fragments from early hardcore raves — perfect for bridging the warm-up to peak-time. »The Ascent« goes all-in from the first second, making clear what Featherstone is after: honest, murky rave — bleached out to perfection. Yet there’s still room for transcendence: delicately carved pads offering sentimental smiles, or the chiming bells of the introspective »Departure«, which turn the rave from collective ecstasy into a dance of neural pathways.
Shapeshifter
