It’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that if Eatbrain commissions an EP from a relatively new artist, said artist is going to be a breakthrough talent. That said, Nuertal has already racked up an impressive roster of imprints in his short(ish) time on planet D&B, with an early single on Formation Records plus recent releases on ProgRAM, RAM, Neuropunk and Celsius. With last 2020’s collab heater on Gydra’s seminal Snake Monastery LP, however, it was clearly only a matter of time before Nuvertal, under his new name (he previously released under Sapphire), had his own multi-track. Enter: Real Murder.
Now apparently dedicated to drum & bass with this new moniker, Nuvertal left to his own devices doesn’t read exactly like the stereotypical Eatbrain artist. This EP’s got a much ravier feel than what many zombie fans expect from the Hungarian neuro mainstay imprint. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of crunchy synths, whip-smart snares and blinding syncopation to be had on Real Murder; they feature in abundance on the EP, in fact. The difference lies in composition and sound design.
Take “Comeback,” for example, where Nuvertal reunites with his old collab partner Gydra: while cinematic and dramatic in its sound design, the track also leans heavily on OG darkstep and early neuro ambient bass drones, drums that are chunkier than the average modern tune and deep, dark, heavy sind wave sub bass phrase transitions. “Take Em,” with its vintage video game callback high-end-of-mid synths give a glimpse of the Russian producer’s former techno life, as do the way the drums and secondary beat move. It’s not quite jump up, it’s not quite 174 techno, but it’s certainly not standard neuro.
Bookending the EP are closing track and today’s premiere, “Show Me Love,” the most modern and also most melodic track on the release and the most vintage rave-inspired title track which opens Real Murder. Said closer flirts with liquid but is grounded in all 2022’s most-loved neuro features: sine wave mid synths, modded out harmonies and surprising drops. “Real Murder,” on the other hand, while in the same register as “Show Me Love,” is jumpy and ravey, full of amens and the most vintagey of vintage vox samples. It’s almost like the two are the same track, made at different times and it’s a cool echo effect that ties the EP together.
With Real Murder, Nuvertal is drawing on his knowledge of other genres as well as his clear love of all the eras of drum & bass. It’s almost as if he’s telling the story of why he’s decided to focus on D&B, starting with a play on its rave roots, going through darkstep and cinematic sound and ending, in the most emotive way possible, here in 2022. No easy feat to pull off in just four tracks and under the exacting A&R eye of Eatbrain.
Real Murder drops Monday, June 13 on Eatbrain. Click here to pre-order.