On his latest EP, the Indiana-raised hyperpop upstart takes a step closer toward the mainstream, sharpening his style without losing the irreverence that makes up his volatile vision.

Edgar Sarratt III started this year sounding like a scared kid on the bus, unsure of what the future held for him. “I’m twiddling my thumbs, don’t know what comes next,” he sang waveringly on the opening line of  “Final Breath,” the stunning highlight off his SUMMER03 mixtape released back in March. The song’s breezy emo guitar strum, throbbing digicore bass, and heart-pounding drum sticks captured the racing thoughts of the 18-year-old hyperpop breakout; it was an outpouring of self-doubt that zoomed by at breakneck speed.

The South Carolina born, Indiana-raised Sarratt (who goes by Midwxst) has become one of hyperpop’s most promising young upstarts. A charismatic vocalist and producer with the ability to fully execute his vision, Midwxst has been adept at threading the needle between Juice WRLD-styled emo trap and bass-blasting maximalist pop in the 100 gecs tradition, underlining hyperpop’s indebtedness to Soundcloud rap in the process. While other ascendant hyperpop acts like Glaive have already begun to buff out their songs to the point where they don’t sound terribly different from, well, pop, Midwxst has pushed his sound in new directions (even after getting picked up by a major label). On his new EP, Back in Action, he sharpens his flows and trims some of his noisier production back, while still managing to capture the volatile energy that makes him such a compelling voice. 

Full review > https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/midwxst-back-in-action-ep/