Hello readers, I’m happy to finally be back again with another review. This time the work on offer comes from Portland-based POP THA TRUNK; this five track EP is a proper banging release that hits all the right notes across the included tracks. Made up of four 140 growlers and a deadly neurofunk DNB track, the Deadwait EP is out in full on Sublimate Records on November 18th, 2022, with the first single “Kilo” available on Beatport now.

For some background about the Artist:

“POP THA TRUNK is a Portland based producer serving crisp, distorted bass flows layered with spicy, trap influenced percussion.
Blending elements of 140, Neuro, Phonk, and Drum & Bass, POP THA TRUNK has put in countless hours of work and years worth of intention into creating a sound he can truly claim as his own. With a musical background as a drummer, he has an adept sense of rhythm that is outshined only by his ability to weave in and out of the atmospheres his music lives in.”

POP THA TRUNK certainly fulfills on his mission with elements of hip hop, neuro and phonk being especially prominent in the 140 productions of the Deadwait EP. Those are elements that, if you’ve read my reviews in the past, you’ll know I go nuts for as a deep cover hip hop head.

The first track of the EP, “Yeoz”, is a fresh melding of classic 140 / deep dubstep with sparse but tearing midrange. From the sampled chattings that open the track, the vibe on this one is utterly cold throughout. POP THA TRUNK also utilizes the second drop on this one to flip the elements of the track in a really interesting way to the point where I’d say I actually like the second passage of music more than I do the first. In other words, this one gets played out in full (as is the case for all the tracks on this release). I recently featured this track on episode 32 of Nickel City Frequencies along with another track on the EP, “Plastic 9s”.

The second track on the EP is “Kilo”, another of the fantastic 140 tracks on offer here and the lead single for the EP. Opening with some deceptive, deep melodic tones, POP THA TRUNK slips in a catchy hip hop sample before a quick build and drop leads into a lurching beast of a dubstep tune. The hook on this track absolutely tears through the speakers and the rumbling range of frequencies that it covers demands the readers attention. The breakdown sees the return of the ominous melody, while the second drop once again sees POP THA TRUNK flip the original bassline hook with some phase and FX that gives the second drop a renewed sense of urgency. Overall this is an excellent tune and is possibly my favourite of the EP.

The aforementioned “Plastic 9s” is track 3 on the Deadwait EP. Opening with a creeping piano and looping hip hop sample, “Plastic 9s” turns into a low-end soundsystem weapon with the first build and drop. The bassline on this track is truly wild FX distorted wobble that POP THA TRUNK utilizes to great result across the tune.

“On THA Floor” is the final 140 offering of the EP and is the most subdued track on the EP. I should note that the Deadwait EP doesn’t come across as a “chill dubstep” EP. These are all tunes to tear up the dance with, but as far as things go my read on the EP is that “On THA Floor” is arguably the most “relaxed”. That said, the atmospheres on display here are dark. “On THA Floor” is the most melodically driven of the songs on the Deadwait EP and it’s also the tune that features the most prominent use of hip hop samples. The tearing bass that POP THA TRUNK utilizes in the other songs on the EP is still present here but it takes a back seat to the pad-work, climbing synth melodies and looping earworm of a hip hop sample. The second drop on this track seems more use of distortion but after a period of time the focus slides effortlessly back to melody. It’s a fitting book-end to the previous three pieces of rough-and-tumble dubstep.

The final entry on the Deadwait EP is wicked neurofunk number called “Crazy Stunts”, featuring growling Reese-bass and another dope hip hop sample. Neurofunk can be hit or miss when I listen to it. I love dark drum and bass, but I do find that there is an occasional overemphasis on maximalist-style production, where there isn’t enough space for the individual elements of the tracks to be able to breathe on their own. “Crazy Stunts” doesn’t fall into that trap with everything fitting together comfortably. The second drop features a slip into halftime which could easily be looped if someone were so inclined, making this tune a versatile tool if you’re interested in flipping styles mid-track. The halftime period last a few bars before the tune drops back into classic DNB. As a DJ who doesn’t really play a lot of dark stuff in my live (in person) DJ sets, this tune would probably break through into my playlists. Overall it’s a great track and one that is sure to bring some of the heads out from the back of the dance when it’s dropped.

I’ve had a great time listening to the Deadwait EP and I want to give a big shout out to POP THA TRUNK and their team. All photo and art credits in this article are due to them. I really enjoy the songs collected here and I’m looking forward to being able to play them out on a larger system. I’ll also be keeping my eyes out for future POP THA TRUNK releases.

The Deadwait EP is out on November 18th, 2022 and you can download it on Beatport at the link below. As noted above the single “Kilo” is available now:

https://www.beatport.com/release/deadwait-ep/3909479

Listen to Episode 32 (Part 1) of Nickel City Frequencies to hear tracks from POP THA TRUNK and more: