Hexed!
by aya (2020s)

Probably the most divisive of my favourite records of 2025. In case the cover doesn't give it away, Hexed! is an intense listen. Mixing the harsh wonkiness of deconstructed club with frantic vocals, Aya creates a sense of overwhelming chaos and instability. The vocals are absolutely central to this, Aya is great at completely shifting the tone or pace of a track over the course of one line, and these will make or break the record for most people. I'm very much on board with everything from the speaking the record opens with to the screaming that closes it. It's these vocals that really differentiate it from the rest of the very active UK electronic scene, but the production is something special too. The instrumental tracks are just as capable of shapeshifting, going from an oppressive order to a more formless chaos. Hexed! also benefits from being just the right length, clocking in at just over half an hour, and has breathers in the right places. The title track allows for a reset after the blistering first half and 'The Petard is My Hoister' is the calm before the storm brought about by time at the bar. It reminded me a little of the switch from 'Pretending' to 'Immaterial' on SOPHIE's 'Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides' which has a similar dynamic of a droney calm before a statement of intent, but where SOPHIE twisted pop music into strange new forms, Aya chooses to overpower with a track that sounds like it physically explodes in its final moments.