On their 2014 album, The Moon Rang Like a Bell, Florida trio Hundred Waters created a wholly unique style that was instantly charming while also incredibly difficult to grasp. Frontwoman Nicole Miglis’ crystalline vocals, coupled with the group’s propensity for hypnotically looped samples, initially suggest big-tent EDM (like that of their OWSLA label boss, Skrillex), but every time you expect them to go big, they turn inward, creating elusive, miniature masterpieces.
Hundred Waters’ music has been taken to more standard endpoints on various remix compilations and on a Skrillex remix of the song “Show Me Love” that features Chance The Rapper, and their latest track splits the difference between those and their more amorphous material. “Particle” is the first track we’ve heard from their upcoming third album, and while it takes a while to build up, it eventually blooms into a beat-led dance track that you could imagine several thousand people dancing to at a festival.
Once again, the group pull out some of the dopest synth tones, using a multitude of different voices on their keyboards without bogging the song down or making a mess of it. Despite the propulsive beat, subtlety remains the name of the game for Hundred Waters. “Particle” keeps it interesting by periodically dropping the beat out while also building towards a climax that dissipates almost as soon as it arrives.
As always though, the focal point of the group is Miglis’ singular voice, nimble and airy, sometimes incomprehensible, but musical in a way that often resembles an instrument more than an organic sound. It’ll be exciting to hear more vocal gymnastics from her on this album, especially if she gets to weave them around avant-pop dance beats like a new-school Bjork.
We still don’t have a release date or title for Hundred Waters’ impending third album, but to appease their fans, they’ve made “Particle” a free download on their site.
