Portland-based producer, Underbelly has released his sophomore EP, Light The Match, Hide The Hand today via bitbird. The 5-track collection effortlessly showcases Underbelly’s unique fusion of guitar-based rock music and electronic dance music. It blends poppy and direct songwriting with unapologetically heavy and aggressive sounds for a juxtaposition that even inspired the EP’s title.
Underbelly explains, “The title of the EP refers to the songwriting approach I took for the project. Light The Match represents a sound that’s fiery, direct, and galvanizing. Hide The Hand reflects my production philosophy of not being too flashy or overproduced. My previous EP, Mental Kill, delved into super-complicated time signatures and chord progressions, and I wanted to pare that impulse back a bit for this project.”
If you’re a music producer, chances are you’re already familiar with Underbelly through his popular YouTube channel “You Suck At Producing,” where he shares funny but very informative music production tutorials. Inspired by his love of emo, grunge, and hardcore rock music, as well as uptempo electronic genres like house and drum and bass, Underbelly has created a uniquely diverse body of work that is both hard-hitting and deeply melancholic. Drawing on the influences of bands like Drug Church, Weezer, Nirvana, Idaho, and Scro, as well as electronic artists like Justice, Former Hero, Billboard, Rezz, and Ratatat, the EP offers a unique and immersive listening experience.