Isserley - Messes

The saddest girl in the witch house/dubstep atmosphere of Australia - and possibly the world over - has come back with a brand new project and sound. Roxxi Wallace - the producer behind the Girlflesh name - has moved on from her old solo project and started Isserley. Whether this move was to say goodbye to her old name or mark her new ventures as a much more skilled tech-head is unknown to myself, but the move fits as the only thing reminiscent from Isserley to Girlflesh are Wallace's vocals. 

Messes is Isserley's debut album due out on December 16th. Wallace has stated that the album was made during a hard time in her life and that it helped get rid of a lot of pain and held back emotions. Anyway, the album starts off with the appropriately moody/bass track 'Mercy'. The horror-esque synths will reign in a variety of dismal and dismay, and once Wallace comes in with her disturbed and saddened chords you'll understand the downward spiral this album takes you on. 

'Another' takes queues from the noisy, dragging walls known from Witch House genres, complete with light percussion. There are even glitchy lyrics present - almost as if there's a ghost caught in the static trying to come out. 'Daddy' is a mostly darkly ironic track; everyone knows about the whole daddy fetish - and if you don't you should Google that in front of your parents - but this song encourages a suicidal death note more than anything. It's cynical, stark, and kind of humorous all in one. 

'UwU', however the fuck that's pronounced, keeps with the whining, moaning sung lyrics but opts out standard deep bass beats for experimental noise and a mostly minimalist approach. There are some synths that come near the end, but it's still relatively simple. 'A Moth On Thora Birch' brings out gritty and grimy synths on the track along with a fairly electro rhythm. It's still on the dark side, but this track would probably fit in a retro-inspired cheesy horror flick. 

'90210' uses some more echoing/glitch effects on the vocals and keeps the music simple once again. A wobbling bassline, Wallace's desparate vocals, very light percussion, and other charms made the song fairly decent. 'Dead Birds' served as more of an intermission track than anything, with tape loops, noise, and the haunting vocals of Wallace making an unsettling atmosphere. 

'Deep Throat' began off extremely slow with heavy, heavy bass slamming in every three to four seconds. More noise accompanies the bass as the song progresses, but it isn't till the two minute mark where the track picks up in full glory. 'Charcoal Heart' whips in crunchy guitars to the mix and the final track on the album, 'Messes', is a much more silent, dark ambient track with a lurking, deep bassline underneath. This is almost like a song that would be played as a sea monster stalks it's prey before striking. 

The production values on Messes is much better than anything I've heard from Roxxi Wallace in the past under the Girlflesh moniker. Her style is unique, dark, and sometimes downright depressing. There's always a love in her music for horror soundtracks and a hint of cynicism, though if you haven't really followed the project you would just think it's a gigantic emo cry for help and nothing more. Messes, however, is her definitive work to date and makes me wonder what she'll be making next. Isserley gets the green light from me. 
Dec 08 2016