I like the quirky synths, slap bass, and warm pads at the beginning. Some of the synths that come in later sound a bit cheesy, though, like the one at :22. I think the mix can come across as a bit indistinct at times. The drums aren’t quite as front-and-center as I want them to be, and some of the lower-pitched synths sound pretty murky. The vocal samples at :47 are pretty cool, but after a while you start to overuse them a bit. The rhythmic content here is really nice, although I’m not quite sold on the composition, as the texture is pretty minimal and bottom-heavy during much of the middle section, and there isn’t much in the way of melodic content or structural variety to keep me engaged. I also think a lot of the drum samples here sound pretty generic. Later on, the piece sounds pretty repetitive, although I like the injection on energy at 2:54 and the rhythmic content during the last minute or so. Overall, you have a good sense of rhythm, progression, and harmony, but the mix could be tightened up a bit, and I would’ve liked to see a stronger sense of ebb and flow in the composition. Still, this is going to be stuck in my head for a while. Keep at it, HG-HL! :)
Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.25/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
5.5/10