“You Get It Or You Don’t:” Exploring the Badass Femininity of Ninajirachi’s New Album, “girl EDM”

Immersing us in her singular world of glitched-out, glitter-showered electronica, Ninajirachi has released a brand-new album, girl EDM.

The virtuosic producer, one EDM.com's best artists of 2022, has been on a furious rise through electronic music's ranks. Last year's scintillating 4x4 EP fanned the flames of her ascent, but girl EDM pours gasoline.

"There are girls and EDM and there is girl EDM… Cat ears, furry paws, Angel Music, headphones on world off, sci-fi fantasy ren-fair cosplay windows down hands in the air Nintendo 3DS at the beach until the sun sets," Ninajirachi tells EDM.com. "Late night all up in the car seat, blue energy drink, kandi bracelet, producer girls, computer girls, cyborg girls, all roads lead back to plur… The next step in evolution and a window to the soul."

She kicks off girl EDM with "Angel Music," in which we're immediately engulfed by the album's neon-drenched production. The track, as bright in sound as the technicolor anime that inspires Ninajirachi, urgently reminds us that "girls like this come straight from heaven."

This fantastical hyperpop journey only grows more visceral with supersonic beats that saturate the album in the singular whimsy of Ninajirachi. "Hand on my heart" and "Wayside" are prime examples, pulsating with the glitchy sounds of chiptune. Meanwhile, tracks like "1x1" and "Ninacamina" carry a darker, denser ambience and exploring more brooding sounds.

In a strategic and skillful move, "Undo U" appears twice on girl EDM: once in its whimsical, resounding original version and again in four-on-the-floor form. The remixed "4x4" version carries the same wintry message, "I know something that could undo you," but the words burrow themselves into a frenetic, hyperactive beat.

To close out the album, its titular track begins with a heart-racing cadence, its kickdrums slicing through effervescent, digitized harmonies. However, behind its rousing production lies a weighty message of strength and resilience through feathery vocals. The drop then detonates with distorted synths and a bassline that refuses to relent, beautifully echoing of the album's prevailing ethos of self-discovery.

girl EDM is out now via Nina Las Vegas' NLV Records. Listen below and find the new album on streaming platforms here.