The first ten seconds of Infiltrating Roku City speak for themselves: Shinetiac make music that not only reflects our present, but also helps to shape it. Distilled from the algorithm, charged with club culture, with current snippets of pop and internet aesthetics. Even the opener »Bluemosa w/ innerfreekling« chases drum’n’bass salvos through R’n’B samples and folky guitar playing. The result is a meme-like, post-digital sound collage somewhere between Two Shell and Fred again. »Highway« slows down the tempo and reminds one of Peshay’s chillout sets with its rumbling bass and strange chords. »Clublyfe (Hulu)«, on the other hand, stretches a melodramatic trance prism that claims to be both club and couch compatible.
Infiltrating Roku City seems like the logical continuation of the Adult Swim sound of the 2000s, a beat-heavy sequel to 2017’s PAN compilation Mono No Aware. »I Hate Being Sober« in particular shows how confidently Shinetiac shapes musical haute couture from the digital data trash of social media: Trap, indie and electronica hint at the depths where musical doom scroll actually awaits. Purelink” is the strongest moment, however, because it reveals the duo’s real core competence – fluttering, precisely produced textures with a viscous undertow. And of course the Billie Eilish reference is not missing: »Billie« lets her vocals glide over an ornamental ambient foundation in the style of »Stereo Love« – only to end up going nowhere. Just like Infiltrating Roku City itself – in a pleasantly pleasant way.
