clipping. – Dead Channel Sky

Label: Sub Pop
Released: 14th March 2025

clipping.’s ‘Dead Channel Sky’ doesn’t so much blur the lines between cyberpunk and rap as stick them in a digital blender and hit maximum speed. The experimental rap trio’s latest offering is a sprawling, 20-track journey through digital dystopia that manages to be both intellectually challenging and ridiculously entertaining.

Drawing heavy inspiration from William Gibson’s 1984 science fiction novel Neuromancer, the album creates a world where acid techno, industrial beats, and razor-sharp rap verses coexist in perfect discord. Daveed Diggs’ trademark rapid-fire delivery has never sounded more at home, particularly on standout track ‘Code’, where his lyrics slice through glitchy production work with surgical precision. The track’s hooky chorus emerges from layers of beautiful instrumentation that reveal new details with each listen.

The album’s scope is ambitious enough to give your neural implants a workout, but tight track lengths keep the pace flowing like illegal data through the mainframe. ‘Dodger’ prowls through dark digital alleyways, its menacing undercurrent perfectly balanced against moments of startling beauty. Every track feels tangible, textured – as if the music itself might leave fingerprints on your speakers.

Guest appearances from the likes of Nels Cline and Aesop Rock weave seamlessly into the circuit board of sounds, adding new pathways without shorting out the system. ‘Scams (ft. Tia Nomore)’ stands as a perfect entry point, a track that manages to be both wildly innovative and immediately gripping.

Sure, some might argue for a leaner runtime, but trying to pick tracks to cut feels like choosing which memories to delete: even the atmospheric interludes serve as essential neural pathways through this digital dreamscape. ‘Dead Channel Sky’ isn’t just pushing boundaries – it’s rewriting the entire operating system of what hip-hop can be.