by Jamie Reysen

Los Angeles producer Evan Sugarpill released Madeup Places in the middle of last month on trendsetter Simplify Recordings. This six-track EP—his second this year—is a glitchy, bass-heavy album that pays homage to West Coast hip-hop and electronic music.

Opening track “Zone 4” sets the stage for an EP that lives up to its name – twinkling beats and wompy waves of bass inspire images of another galaxy. Next up is “Prettyshaker,” an upbeat track with fluttery synth melodies that dance alongside each other at different speeds.

Sugarpill delivers a multidimensional, polytempo sound throughout Madeup Places. Halfway through his downtempo track, “Chewbacca Hat,” high-pitched digital beats take center stage, racing against a slow, distorted bass line.

Eerie synths creep next to twisted bass in “Crazniac.” The track most shows off Sugarpill’s West Coast pride, interrupting heady beats with a sample from Los Angeles legend Tupac’s “Changes.”

“Frownyface” is the album’s most dubstep-infused track. The heavy-hitting song borrows a line from “Got Your Money” by the late rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard: “Stop annoying me/ Yeah, I play my music loud.” It’s a fitting sample – “Frownyface” is definitely a song to bump at full volume.

Madeup Places goes out with a bang through “Terrible People,” the EP’s most diverse track. Sugary synth, bursts of heavy bass, and unexpected horns merge to provide a unique finale, leaving the listener excited to see what’s next from Sugarpill.

Sugarpill - FrownyFace (The Victimized Dinosaur)