Both solo and as part of Brooklyn trio
Kill Alters,
Bonnie Baxter makes punishing electro-noise spiked with playfully twisted vocals, and occasionally snippets of innocent yet disturbing conversations taken from an extensive family archive. Following 2018's
Ask Me How Satan Started, a jaw-dropping amalgamation of juke, hardcore techno, punk, and industrial,
Baxter's second solo tape is another mind-blur of goofy voices and skittering beats seemingly designed to make listeners uncomfortable as well as amused. Her vocals switch from
Strawberry Shortcake squeals and chirps to choking noises and gag reflexes without warning, and there's no telling how long a discombobulated pattern will loop before suddenly cutting out to something totally unrelated. The majority of the second side is a continuous string of interrelated thoughts, all building up to the overwhelming finale "Skyrat."
Baxter flails and shrieks over Thunderdome-grade gabber beats for several minutes before abruptly ending it all with a cheeky giggle.
Axis feels a little more jokey and scatter-brained than
Ask Me How Satan Started, but in some ways it's a bit more exploratory, and it's never lacking in manic energy.