When it comes to EDM, there are very few artists that can come to the kind of standard Alan Walker has established for himself. He always manages to find ways to both keep him within the confines of the genres, but also imploding within it and breaking boundaries left and right. With his newest song, Sorry, featuring the talents of ISAK on vocals, the producer not only meets the expectations one might have from an Alan Walker track, but propels those further on to the stratosphere.

The energy is shifted around like waves on a beach’s shore. The song starts with brassy synths accompanied by the electronically harmonized ISAK. The depth of Walker’s layering is immeasurable, giving the sense of vastness rarely matched in music. The vibe quickly shifts as the song continues to a more traditional low-drive groove, with the punching kicks on the ones and threes and snappy snares on twos and fours. The sense of flowing water is highlighted the most here, as the drive of the song slows down and returns to the intro’s soundscape, only to be glitched into what could only be described as a breakdown, with rhythmic chugs equivalent of a heavy metal track. The driving force behind that section is what gives the most flavor to the tune by far, being so out of contrast from the rest of the song. What seemed like a purely soulful and quite slow EDM track quickly turns into a dark driving force pushing you into a sinister, almost cyber-punk-y theme. The shifts in tone and feel are what keeps this song so gripping and interesting. Impressively enough, this song has the very short runtime of two minutes and forty-five seconds, and yet has enough intrigue and ideas for this to easily be a short ten-minute EP at the very least. This is a pure example of Alan Walker’s eccentric ideas put to practice, and thus making this song all the more special.

Fans might be waiting patiently for a full album release from the producer, but Sorry will keep them far more than satisfied as the hype continues.

Author: Nicholas Gaudet

Music producer and writer from Dieppe, Canada.