You have a good sense of rhythm, but the percussion at the beginning sounds pretty dry and unpolished. I’d suggest taking some treble off of that high-pitched perc, or maybe eliminating the entire first 28 seconds of the song entirely, as the mood at :28 sounds pretty different. The bass sample at :28 sounds a little generic, and the progression is very slow-paced. There was another jarring transition at 1:16. I like the call-and-response action you have going on between that creepy synth and the gritty bass there, but once again you fail to create a sense of development with those riffs before reverting back to the bass riff from :28 at 1:40 or so, after an awkward pause at that. The additional harmonies at 2:07 clash a bit with the existing bass riff, and overall the arrangement of this piece is rather choppy. I think you need to think more carefully about the harmonic framework of your piece before you start working in your DAW, and also aim for more fluidity in the composition. Despite the harsh-sounding effects and percussion, the mix is pretty quiet overall, and I’m not particularly impressed with the sound design either. That said, there are a lot of good harmonic ideas here; they just don’t feel like they’re all a part of the same story yet. The different sections of the piece aren’t very well-connected, and by the end of the piece there’s not a strong sense of conclusion or resolve. I know I’ve been tough on you in this review. I think many of my criticisms boil down to two key points: the disjointed feel of the composition and the discordant/empty feel of the harmonies. I enjoyed the slap bass riffs and drum beats, and I’d encourage you to keep working on this one. Keep at it, Thenoodge! :)
Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.5/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.25/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
.75/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.5/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.25/1
Composite score
4.5/10