BAYNK is back! His sophomore album, SENESCENCE, feels like a trance through emotions, backed by the sound of a genre with its eyes set on the future in a music landscape that is forever changing.

Listening to this album was an odd experience in that it actually reminded us of a lot of newer rap music. Trap/drill, with producers like Cash Cobain comfortably at the helm, has clear electronic influences in the voice pitching and higher bpm rates. Music in general has been showing a clear favorability for more high-speed production, much like the flow of the beat on this album’s track 7, “Older” and track 8, “What Am I Going To Do With You”. More and more, we’re hearing songs at that speed across all genres.

Track 6, “Mr. Jocko” was a refreshing intermission. Not only did it come as a surprise on an album like this, BAYNK was able to throw something light in there to go with the overall feel of the album was refreshing. The album discusses heartbreak & longing, but the production allows it to have an optimistic feel to it. Although at times it can get sad, you would have to listen to the lyrics to realize it because the production would trick you into thinking otherwise. Mr. Jocko being a somewhat random song that doesn’t really require much deeper thinking (the same 6 words are repeated throughout) is a happy break from the overarching theme of the album. It’s fun, quick, light-hearted, and reminds us that sometimes we just have to forget about the more serious parts of life and just vibe.

The production across the board is outstanding, and BAYNK deepens his unique legacy as an electronic artist who often lends his own voice on top of his producing/curating talents. This album is a 10/10 for us from an artist who I have yet to be disappointed by.

With DJ sets rising in popularity (Youtube videos from behemoths like the Boiler Room to small at home DJ set ups like Mike O’Leary’s “Sunday Cleaning” or Bobby Nsenga’s “playlists”), it’s only natural that the influence of electronic music starts infiltrating other genres. Our prediction is that electronic/dance music may be the next major mainstream genre, or at the very least we will see what has already been happening - electronic influences creeping into unsuspecting genres such as hip-hop - not only continue, but increase exponentially. It could even have a moment as big as pop-punk in the mid-2000’s or hip-hop/rap in the late 2010’s. More music like this looks to be on the horizon.