No, but literally. That is what it is called: Pure Poison.
Des McMahon is a ginger out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; a dude who writes anything and everything. His new EP exemplifies that in three tracks that are varied in sound and genre. The album art sets the tone, the EP cover bright blue and smoky, like an eerie, haunted body of water. The face on the cover is that of a siren of greek mythology, so enticing that you can't help but dive right in to this three-track EP.
The title track leads things off; its dark, psychedelic rhythms surround you as you delve into the sounds so jarring they almost put you into a dream. The soft, creepy vocals of Carly Burns are remnant of our dear siren, telling you to inhale the fumes, breathe in this poison. The track's meticulous composition is reflecting in the way you can feel this track as it progresses; you breathe it in, expanding your lungs with the sweet taste of the track's beauty, but also contract quickly because you can feel danger or evil lurking just over the next beat. It is really trippy, almost unsettling, and sets the tone for this to be a powerful score of music.
This metaphorical journey continues as you travel with Des through dark, possibly poisonous waters layered with thick smoke, enough to pull you inside you own conscience, swim about introspectively. "Mystic" is the second track, and its chiming beat and fluid synth lead to the breakdown of dubstep noises that stretch and bend your mind. As the album progresses, the further it seems to go into the heavy sounds of bass music. Each track goes a little further, while simultaneously moving through with introspection, sound waves evoking moods that reflect the art.
The final track, "Outlaws," is a drum & bass collaboration with John Dopping. This track is a seeming culmination of the two previous, a slight techno influence from sound of Dopping. Picking up the pace, combining the liquid sounds of dark waters with the heavy bass, dubstep noises, layered with a quick, pounding beat. It is an intense culmination that pulls you quickly from this dream, the swim, this 12 and a half minute journey as comes to a close, snapping you back to reality.
Des is putting in work all over. He recently opened and closed Echostage for Krewella, and he can be spotted at Soundgarden Hall almost regularly, most recently opening for Liquid Stranger and The M Machine as well as Skism and Flux Pavilion. We can only expect great things from this dude.
