The Australian trap phenomenon known simply as What So Not has been turning heads over the past year. Since the official departure of Harley Streten (aka Flume), Charley Emerson (aka What So Not) has been showcasing his insane talent for production. Just off a massive remix for Rufus Du Sol’s hit tune “Innerbloom”, What So Not is back with his Divide & Conquer EP featuring singles like “Buried” and “Lone” and collabs with the likes of Ganz, BURNS, George Maple and more.
While the EP was probably one of the most anticipated this Summer, after a good listening of the EP I have to say I was moderately entertained at best. While the EP itself highlights some phenomenal sound design from Emerson, it felt half hearted in some areas. While tracks like “Lone”, alongside Ganz and JOY was a blissful experience of energy and melody, other tracks like “Buried” featuring George Maple and Rome Fortune had potential but for my personal tastes fell short of expectations. However, with that being said the EP does stand as a great acclaim to What So Not’s sound design expertise, with intricate synths working their way throughout the entirety of the collection of tracks. Title track “Divide & Conquer” shows a heavier trap based side of What So Not that has been absent as of late in my opinion, and while not for my personal tastes, stands as an interesting and new take on what is often a hashed out genre of replicas and duplicates that stands out and is instantly recognizable.
In the end, while EP for me personally felt lackluster, with room for improvement, gems like “Lone”, “Trust” and “Divide & Conquer” still remain to showcase the talents of the Australian powerhouse DJ. All we can say is that you’ll have to make your own opinions on the new EP, but we can say that analyzing each track will not be a waste of your time. If there’s one thing I absolutely love about What So Not, its that each track finds a way to pull at your heartstrings and Divide & Conquer attests to that.