Andrew Hung - Rave Cave 2 EP

Pitchfork 72

Andrew Hung’s piercingly electronic Rave Cave 2 is an ambitious and personal autobiographical effort. The initial two tracks are named after places in Hung’s life—"Ashill" which Hung lists as his residence on Bandcamp, is a bright and inviting opening number. "Gladstone Park Gang" is a shout out to a park in North London, and the title itself is reminiscent of a key pastime among bored British youth: hanging out in a drab park, smoking weed, and drinking disgustingly cheap cider.

The second installment of his debut solo venture, Rave Cave 2 interweaves themes from the original but stands strong on its own, and is in fact denser and richer overall. "Ashill" forgoes the syncopated swing of Rave Cave’s opener, "Fables", but still embodies that cheeriness. Though the choppy and sharp melody initially seems out of joint with the accompanying smooth, heady synth bass, the more repetitive it becomes, the more it settles in.

Throughout this EP, Hung emulates the juxtaposing elements found in the nature of youth, a time in life when everything is confusing and you have to navigate a path through conflicting options. "Repetition vs Time" summons a childlike wonder and calm, with an intentionally cheesy chorus and boom-bap beats invoking nostalgia for playing keyboards in high school music class. Towards the latter end, the song is more reminiscent of video game menu music than anything else, but perhaps this is intentional. Hung’s littering of 8-bit grace notes is ultimately refreshing, and an apt ode to his work as one half of Fuck Buttons.

"That thing you want won’t make you happy" is distinctly melancholic in comparison to the rest of the record. It carries the melody of a more somber '90s boy band ballad, and closes with finger-picked acoustic guitar tinged with subtle reverb. "Star Ferry Dub" immediately starts off as a pounding antithesis to the previous song. It’s heavy on the ears and on the heart, flashing a raw hedonism seldom found in the Rave Cave series. The song rings in the musical themes evident throughout the EP—we are reintroduced to the 8-bit ornamentation of "Repetition vs Time" and that thumping arpeggiated bass echoing "Ashill", but this time the ghosts of these tracks are more lingering and intense. There’s so much going on at once that it’s hard to pin down, but the complexities and wide sonic scape don’t sound excessive or sloppily piled on top of one another. They’re seamless, intricate, and intoxicating. Then, the imperfect cadence fades and stutters into oblivion, leaving the listener aching for more. Andrew Hung’s story isn’t over yet.