Los Angeles-based producer, NGHTMRE has teamed up with Jon Casey and Pauline Herr for their colossal collaboration “In Your Eyes”. Arriving on NGHTMRE and SLANDER’s Gud Vibrations imprint, the track marks yet another massive collaboration following the former’s recent single “All Night” with Rezz and DeathbyRomy.
“In Your Eyes” is a moody masterwork that moves between brooding and beastly with impressive finesse. A minimal yet impactful introduction sets the scene with distorted anthemic synths and Pauline Herr’s gripping topline. The dark, desolate lyrics deepen the murky thematic edge while possessing a striking emotional appeal. Built around two distinct drops, the first sees the trio exploring a gritty dubstep aesthetic riddled with croaking low-end, screwy sound design, crisp claps, squeaking fills, and chopped vox. The break injects a stripped-down hip-hop backing as Herr’s pensive delivery resets the scene. A melodic loop acts as a countdown before exploding into a retooled second drop that explores a gritty trap aesthetic with ample space and ricocheting sonic artillery ringing off while the hypnotic vocals weaving in and out. “In Your Eyes” sets the bar for bass anthems in 2024.
The track started out as a demo that Pauline Herr was sitting on. Its initial version caught the ear of NGHTMRE, who requested the WIP via DMs while in a studio session alongside Jon Casey. She bounced the stems so they could work their magic into the framework that was laid out, and then the trio spent the next few months fine-tuning the collab during NGHTMRE’s 13-stop ‘The Great Sonic Wars 2023’ Tour, built around a call-to-arms concept that saw him hosting a special star-studded back-to-back set with a new artist for each show. Pauline Herr and Jon Casey were tapped for multiple stops throughout the run—in addition to heavy-hitters from the likes of Dimension, Netsky, Moore Kismet, JOYRYDE, Moore Kismet, PhaseOne, and more—affording them the opportunity to feed off the crowds’ energy live in action while they continually tweaked the track into its final festival-ready form.