After the release of his debut EP on the Never Say Die imprint, Lee Bates is back once again with the second installment of his delirious dreamscape which sets to embody the turmoil of a true fever dream. Over the past few months, MUST DIE! has been on an absolute tear; churning out release after release at a seemingly unparalleled pace. His style has been unwavering; concocting his signature sound of balancing gut-wrenching bass with soothing melodics.
Fever Dream Pt. II is no exception to this statement, and clearly aims to send listeners down a sonic journey that feverishly twists and turns from start to finish. The opening track of the EP, ‘Serpentine’, aptly initiates this meandering journey down the rabbit hole of Lee’s imagination with a strong and slightly eerie build. A pulsing rhythmic beat builds and thickens only to unfold into a flurry of jarring bass and ragged synths before leading into the second track of the release, ‘Lazy’. 
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‘Lazy’ continues the trend of rhythmically building with a rather minimalistic drum pattern and clever vocal sampling, however, as in any fever dream, nothing can be expected. Instead of dropping into another barrage of heavy bass, ‘Lazy’ feeds off an assortment of percussive sounds and samples, moving the listener deeper and deeper into a state of confusion.
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The third track of the release, ‘Glass Castle’, takes yet another unexpected turn emphasizing the lighter more melodic stint of this escapade. Similar to his ‘Recovery Crystal’, I invision ‘Glass Castle’ as a time for the listener to replenish their stamina and collect their thoughts before the conclusion that is, ‘Fever Dream Pt. II’.
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Suspenseful, cinematic, and raw, ‘Fever Dream Pt. II’ shatters any sense of calm that the ‘Glass Castle’ may have imparted and brings us back full circle. Punishing bass and aggressive synths work in tandem reminding us that in a true fever dream, the calm before the storm is nothing but an illusion. Easily my favorite track of the EP, ‘Fever Dream Pt. II’ speaks volumes towards the creative vision and talent MUST DIE! possesses as a producer and an artist.
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Fever Dream Pt. II is out now on Beatport and can be purchased here!
