With the Blood Tape EP, ShiShi delivers a project that feels like an invitation to a neon drenched, dystopian landscape, balancing 80s nostalgia with a persistent sense of unease.
Its Intro sets the tone with a classic analog arpeggio, the soft percussive pulse and the melancholic piano layer. It is there to prepare the listener for the EP’s centrepiece: Blood Tape. The title track is a standout, blending dreamy elements with dark synthwave. Here, ShiShi utilizes a haunting two minor chord progression to create a dystopic tension resulting in a feeling of beautiful discomfort. The mood pivots sharply with Doomnight. Increasing the tempo and leaning into a more aggressive electro aesthetic, this track trades dreaminess for grit. The signature arpeggios remain, but they are filtered through heavily saturated, tonically sliding synth leads that give the track a club-ready energy. Rocket Ship to Hell returns to a cinematic focus, utilizing a looping four-chord progression. The magic here lies in the harmonic subversion as the second chord frequently flips from minor to major, creating a flickering mood contrast that keeps the listener off-balance but always inside the lush synthwave atmosphere. The EP closes with Storm Clouds Gather, a track that cements the project’s overall cohesion. For this one, ShiShi uses the vocal performance to heighten the tension, leaving the listener in the thick of the atmosphere established from the opening note.
The whole record plays out like a dark, synth-heavy phantasmagoria. Listen below!
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