Credit: NIRE / Create Music Group Inc.
ALIASING.
[By: NIRE]
Genre: Future riddim, Dubstep, Miscellaneous
Rating: 75
Cohesiveness: 75
Track quality: 68
Beginner-friendly? not really
Published 2026/10/29
The world of underground melodic dubstep continues to thrive - NIRE is the latest to strike in the field.
Or, at least, ALIASING. is fairly melodic. Melody is an important part of NIRE's songwriting - it speaks its mind throughout the album, featuring prominently in his intros and bridges, like little stints of emotional reflection swathed in his blue-veiled soundscapes.
It complements his choice of genre, interestingly enough. With bass music - and, indeed, much of dubstep - there is little melody that is not crushed underfoot, but future riddim is a different story altogether, with the genre leaning heavily on its melodic qualities to lead its flow (as it does here). NIRE doesn't skimp out on much the genre has to offer, opting for a corner-of-the-Internet sound reminisicient of, for instance, Neddie's Passerby, though skewed more in the bass music direction. Because for all its melodic qualities, ALIASING. is still often quite a heavy record. As much as the chipper sound design and melodies try to uplift it, to keep its head in the clouds, ALIASING. still lands with a crash.
From the get-go this give-and-take of the melodic and the heavy could not be more apparent. "GLIMMER." has a bright temperament, maintaining a certain bounciness even as the fuzziness of the opening atmosphere is cleaved through by helicopter blades of dubstep stabs - but the track retreats back into its softer mood soon after. ALIASING. sees NIRE juggle these moods well. At times it can feel intimate and even vulnerable, whilst at others the album displays emotional outbursts to channel frustration or attempt a catharsis, like in "WHODOUWANTME2BE" or "spoonfed_final_master_export_44,1kHz.zip" - yes, the titling can be a little bit of a mouthful, though they do reflect the direction NIRE is moving in quite well.
It's also not difficult to find an anchor for the album. After all, this mood-defining contrast routine that NIRE works through provides an ambience-based throughline for ALIASING.. Between the soft padding and the gentle, often rudimentary melodies, NIRE establishes a subdued yet vaguely comforting atmosphere - with the jagged, heavier elements, he is able to throw that atmosphere into disarray.
Perhaps where ALIASING. goes wrong is that it can be repetitive. No, that isn't true - each track offers up new ideas in a large variety of genres, like the square4 riddim section at the end of "WHODOUWANTME2BE", the baile funk groove of "RiP-OFF;;;", the expressive garage of "runninLATE". Miscellany pervades the tracklist, as far as genres are concerned. Songwriting doesn't seem like a trouble, either, given that NIRE isn't afraid to uniquely structure his tracks, riffing off the typical buildup-drop structure of dubstep in clever ways. But there is something about the style which wraps ALIASING., where its compelling quality can wear off at times, as if it's shrouded in the same veil the whole way through. This is usually a point in favour of an album, but without a clearer throughline than simply mood, the various ideas can sometimes bleed together a little rather than maintaining the punch they really want. It's not a massive problem, naturally - by all means ALIASING. is a powerful debut album with a lot of clarity in production and writing - but it can mask a listen-through.
But, from an objective standpoint, this style from NIRE is one that feels very emotionally resonant and musically hefty. The hyperdigitalised approach to a debut album, in the crunchy way that this tracklist does it, is unique enough to be interesting, even if the album does lose itself at times.
Listen on Spotify here.
ALIASING. (intro)
A short, simple ambient intro, at just a minute long, with some curiosity arising through the sound design and a very electronic feeling that opens up through it all.
GLIMMER.
Melodies play over a broad synth intro, but when "GLIMMER." gets into the drop it swaps to a much sound, with a jagged dubstep first drop. It flips back again into a fast-paced, but quieter, breaks section at the end, with some very nice quivering melodic sound design.
in touch ☆~°`
The next tune continues nicely from the previous, hinting at a cute little four-on-the-floor beat. The ensuing beat, at the end of the intro, is an echo of that four-on-the-floor, but much deeper and snappier than the "cute" ideas initially presented. Songwriting-wise this ends up being similar to "GLIMMER." - the track offers a broader synth breakdown and peters out into a chiller finale, though this time the underlying rhythm is kept similar.
RiP-OFF;;;
Another simple melodic intro, but this time NIRE opts for a baile funk groove. Much like "GLIMMER.", this track has a bit of a jagged edge to its flow, with the melody interweaved into it. When he comes back for the second time around, the funk is a little more intense, though the sound design of this drop can feel a little (unfortunately) rubbery at times.
WHODOUWANTME2BE
"WHODOUWANTME2BE" is a little more structurally sudden. From the quiet intro that has been so effectively used so far in the album, it hesitates on a note and plunges into a heavy drop - you can feel it coming, with the pause the track takes beforehand, but it's still a very striking statement. The second movement - the techno - is very clean, too, washed in the drums and the prominent synth lead, and the square 4 final section is a little random but interesting nonetheless.
roots // the indomitable chilean spirit
This cut seems to take on the role of a hopeful interlude-esque one, with a shorter runtime and less in-your-face production, relying on its simplistic beat to push it through. It's a great contribution to the atmosphere, but does little as a track in itself.
runninLATE ⭐
Opening this track with that kind of bass cascade is very creative, and NIRE executes it tastefully. He follows it with a garage section that feels very full and rich, with the beat being a little loud but not encroaching too much on the main soundscape, slowly adding elements and complicating the equation. Eventually it breaks down into a juddering, deeper beat - the final movement is far from the energy of the first, but the sound design pulls it through well.
spoonfed_final_master_export_44,1kHz.zip ⭐
NIRE follows the same formula for his intro as he's done in a lot of these tracks - he presents a simple melody, and then nukes it. This particular nuke is interesting though - it's harsh and bold, and the staggered drum pattern makes it unique. The harsn quality makes it a difficult listen, admittedly, but - especially with the more frantic breakbeats towards the end - an engaging one.
die trying (=eitherway=)
The ambience of the intro is well-done, with the beeping sound design and the exfoliation of synths through the buildup. The drop is in stark contrast - it's more atonal and focused on its rhythm, with the other elements being minimal and mostly providing an accompaniment to the drums. After that part, it's a little less creative - the trap section to finish is fine but nothing compared to the first part.
break*free
A melodic lead flits by in the intro start, repeating and repeating softly until it fades out. It returns quickly, with a stoic techno kick to back it, progressing cleanly until it, too, fades out. There's a nice little bridge before NIRE follows it up with a trap drop, hoisting a big sub, eventually relenting to the techno again. "break*free" ends with an introspective recorded voice - it fits the vibe, and speaks well.
it happens! (to the best of us)
The way in which the lead spirals around the percussion sounds very curious, with the sound design lending it an almost whistly quality. The breakdown, like most, moves to a chiller and more ambient bridge, then into a nice little house part, which eventually swells up into quite a euphoric second drop. Finishing the album with another recorded voice is a good choice.
- runninLATE ⭐
- spoonfed_final_master_export_44,1kHz.zip ⭐
- WHODOUWANTME2BE
- GLIMMER.
- it happens! (to the best of us)
- die trying (=eitherway=)
- in touch ☆~°`
- break*free
- RiP-OFF;;;
- ALIASING. (intro)
- roots // the indomitable chilean spirit