Neat use of vocal samples at the beginning. I like the heavy synth riffs and percussion at :05 too, although the reverb is a bit heavy. There’s a nice sense of build into :23, and I’m enjoying the melodies there too. I think the melodic section at :45 is my favorite part of the piece - it has a great, rich atmosphere and offers a nice bout of structural contrast from the heavy drop preceding it. The breakdown at 1:22 is another strong section, and leads back into the drop/refrain well. The production quality is strong overall, but I still think the reverb is rather heavy. I also would’ve liked to hear more of a proper outro to the piece. As it is now, the ending cuts off rather abruptly. That said, the sound design, rhythmic content, melodies, and mastering are all really enjoyable here. Congratulations on your success in the NGUAC this year, Sicra! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
2/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.5/10

Damn man, this hits hard.

I think you still managed to get dark and mysterious in there ;)

Overall, I love the pacing of this piece and the melodic theme. However be careful with your high mid and treble. At points it is overwhelming (heavier sections, some snares, fizz, and auxiliary samples)

I think you otherwise did a fantastic job, and your experiment has borne fruit. Give me some more volume on that reese bass somewhere before 2:00 though. Please. It is tasty.

Thanks for coming out to NGUAC!

solid

0:13 - 0:21 is the only good part