Marshmello x Carnage – Back In Time

69%%Overall Score

• Pumping House: the new trend?
• Catchy but as simple as a pen’s mechanism
• Overexploited vocals

Hearing the name of the somewhat iconic producer Marshmello is not common these days, as it used to be, having lost the same hype that saw the breakthrough of his music in the latter part of the last decade. He still does collaboration with rappers and other names.. anyways Carnage teamed up with him, who is “reborn” as Gordo (an alias oriented to Techier sounds) to offer us a Pumping House track, and thinking about it… it is not a new trend?

Before getting through with this song, I want to mention the recent phenomena occurring with Piano and upbeat sections of House, as it has exploded with the latest trends in the blink of an eye. The former is a genre that I find often creative and great to listen to, but Pumping House is akin to a “lazier” remake of Hard Bass, including lesser energy and no Russian words. And that being said, let’s begin with this tune.

Expecting a tune cent percent made by Dotco.. I mean Marshmello (or his team, who cares) but upon hearing it, Carnage seems to have carried the weight of all the technical work while the masked alias did the vocal part… and maybe added some extra ingredients all over the compositions. Equal teamwork? Maybe, maybe not.

The structure is kept simple as it follows an effective formula with a catchy rhythm and melody, also the vox here has the same “Marshmello” type vibes as his other singles, and this time around it doesn’t feel as repetitive. Perhaps the Pumping aesthetic fits excellent here? In my opinion, yes. It is funky and groovy and energetic; the lyrics are well-done and sincerely wasn’t expecting to love something coming from Marshmello.

“Back In Time” is the style I described (with Tech House influences, possibly taken from Carnage’s signature) and a good throwback to the 90s. Don’t take it for a game-changer, but it is a solid work for old-school fans in a quirky take.