Varien Brings Out the Midnight Monsters With “Claws”

After a long hiatus, the multitalented Varien is back, dragging fiery tunes in his wake. With success channeling through everything from soundtracks to hits for K-pop stars (and a ton in between), it comes as no surprise that Varien is also a mad scientist of the dancefloor. Going in deep, dark and extra weighty, his next release is a rough chunk of bass titled “Claws.”

All puns aside, this track pulls no punches and delivers what the title promises, dead-on. Thumping in with a ghostly G-lean, the beat hits a dark and trappy rhythm, building in small but energetic doses. Once the train races toward the drop, Varien balances bone-crunching bass against split seconds of deafening silence. The drive pummels toward the end of the line and then swells with dark and sinister cinematic tension.

Beyond clearly tight engineering, “Claws” also exposes a solidly captivating composition. It’s a harder skill to know what exact strokes to use than it is to simply fill an entire canvas. And it’s that awareness of maximizing minimal touches that makes this fang-glistening monster of a track stand out. It’s definitely the kind of comeback that will have fans clamoring for more.

“‘Claws’ is a beast of a tune, drawing from elements of both G-house and a gothic Nine Inch Nails influence,” Varien tells Insomniac. “I love ‘negative space’ drops—people forget that the spaces without notes are just as musical as the space in music WITH notes. The silence sort of sucks you in. Enjoy!”

Available April 17 as a self-released single.

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