Justin Hawkes' Now or Never is a drum and bass album that keeps trying to escape its own genre. The tempos are fast, the basslines are heavy, and there is plenty of amen break business, but Hawkes keeps pulling in these big cinematic string sections and vocal hooks that feel more like a pop record that got lost and ended up in a rave. Tracks like "Stomp" lean hard into the ritual side of dance music, all pounding kick drums and crowd-baiting drops, while "Tethys" goes somewhere else entirely, floating and atmospheric, almost meditative. The production is clean and loud, which works for the club cuts but sometimes flattens the quieter moments.
It comes from Drumcaste Collective, an independent label that is making a point about being AI-free. Hawkes himself is based in Colorado, and he has been releasing since 2019. The album is named your price, which is a good way to get it into more ears, because this is not an easy sell. It is too sincere for the ironic crowd and too busy for the ambient head. If you like your drum and bass with a side of earnest self-help philosophy and a lot of vocal hooks, this might be your thing. If you prefer your jungle cold and faceless, maybe skip it.
