SHR6E005C~002 Composition & Report MOR23084209

AUDIO FILE- Blame It

Musical influences and Context

My track is heavily influenced by the production style and contemporaries of AG Cook, PC Music and Charli XCX. Operating in the “Hyperpop” genre (to use an umbrella term), I find this music to be quite camp and extravagant in character, which differs from my usual style of production. However, while these characteristics open up almost endless possibilities, they also present a challenge in maintaining coherence, as the genre welcomes non-conformity whilst also taking genres and stereotypes on the nose (see appendix 2). This gives lots of room for outlandish melodies, sound effects, and odd structure, but requires careful consideration to avoid the track feeling disjointed. I chose to do this after our lesson on PC Music, and researching AG Cook and why he created PC Music was very inspiring. It’s described as very punk- you can “do whatever you want, whenever you want to” (Namasenda, 2021) (see appendix 3), and while that creative freedom was appealing, it also pushed me outside of the creative realm I usually work in, making some decisions less intuitive.

The distortion at the end of my track is inspired by the ending of the track “365” by Charli XCX, which becomes progressively more distorted and less coherent to signify a messy night out (Tape Notes, 2024) (see appendix 1). Distortion is a common technique used in the PC Music community, as heard in tracks like “Wanted” by Namasenda. The milieu surrounding PC Music and hyperpop is closely tied to LGBTQ+ communities and club scenes, particularly hardstyle techno, which is why I chose the ending to be centred around the idea of a messy night out with hardstyle techno music being the last thing you hear. However, while this concept is clear in intention, translating that narrative effectively through sound alone proved challenging. AG Cook says the beauty of this genre is “that you can communicate a lot of visual ideas within the music without the visuals even needing to exist” (Cook, 2021), which is what I’m going for with my ending, although this could be developed further to make the imagery more immediate.

If I was to do this again, I’d like to have made different styles of hyperpop, and used reference tracks from PC Music to help me understand and develop my creative practice better within this unfamiliar genre. This would allow me to engage more critically with the stereotypical sounds and instruments that you hear across the label and genre, rather than relying on a more surface-level interpretation. Overall, I am very happy with this piece of work, and think its “no 2 sections are the same” approach makes it very creative structurally and helps it flow well, although this could risk overwhelming the listener if not balanced carefully.

Production Processes

The song uses vocal samples taken from Charli XCX’s song “Track 10” and aside from a few specific phrases which create motifs throughout the track, I use Ableton’s simpler to sample phrases in a melodic manner, and create vocal chops to develop the texture and melody throughout the song. Sampling and remixing is a common feature within the hyperpop / PC Music sphere and helps to create unique ideas and melodies.

Other typical features of the genre include the high pitched synths and pads, utilising simple wave forms such as saws for the chordal sounds, which highlight the genre’s simplicity, mixed with complex sequenced sound design for the lead tones to get unique sound design throughout the track. AG Cook is a frequent user of Serum, so all of my pads and sound design was done within Serum to create cohesion (see appendix 4). While this helped align with the genre aesthetically, it also meant working within a more defined and broader sonic palette, which helped me develop my sound design skills, but could be explored further in future work.

The drum sounds I went for were quite snappy, high pitched and distorted to fit into that “punch you in the face”, super bright style of hyperpop. They tend to contrast the sound design in some sections, particularly the beginning, which is deliberate as it emphasises that tongue in cheek nature of the genre. The sharp snaps of the claps and snares and tight, bouncy kick create an effective groove, coupled with delays on the hi hats and claps to lock in movement. However, balancing these elements within the mix was not always straightforward, particularly when combined with more extreme sound design choices.

The distortion at the end is automated on the bass and lead synths to create that chaotic ending, however I made sure to keep the frequencies under control by avoiding clashes through EQ cuts and limiters on certain tracks (see appendix 5). This is automated along with the track volume for the last 2 bars to keep the dynamics in check and not become unpleasant to listen to. While effective, this highlights the tension between creating chaos and maintaining clarity.

I found this a tricky song to mix. I had to use a lot of compressors to keep the dynamics in check on each instrument whilst maintaining clarity in the mix, and the distortion at the end was particularly challenging due to the contrast between the beginning and ending, meaning I had to cater for different frequencies and levels throughout the track.

Bibliography

Arte Tracks (2020). How PC Music defined a new kind of pop (Interview A. G. Cook, SOPHIE, Charli XCX) | Arte TRACKS. [online] www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INSugJy1BBw. [Accessed 3 May 2026).

L Harle, D. (2017). Me4U. PC Music. Available at: https://open.spotify.com/album/0JvcnooibogVN9G6VzYji0?si=bea214d920834c9c [Accessed 1 May 2026].

PC Music (2020). Namasenda – Wanted (Official Video). [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hvisYtQ2eo [Accessed 6 May 2026].

SoundCloud (2021). A.G. Cook on PC Music: Scenes. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIV66sDc3XQ [Accessed 6 May 2026].

Tape Notes Podcast (2024). Charli XCX 365 Walk Through ft. George Daniel & A.G. Cook | ‘BRAT’. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4642FmVBWDI.

XCX, C. (2024). 365. Atlantic Records. Available at: https://open.spotify.com/track/5h68SoVFGleijCtjEja3xG?si=e92d2cb935ef483a [Accessed 1 May 2026].