CROOK turns twst track ‘Upgrade’ into unearthed club classic.
When I first heard CROOK's rework of twst single 'Uprade', the track nearly shattered the stained glass of One Church in Brighton. The rising pop provocateur slotted the remix into the end of her set as a curveball, grinning at her audience as it was played live for one of the first times. Since then, the single has become somewhat of a minor cult favourite before release last week.
'Upgrade (CROOK's System Update)' has been championed by Pop Never Dies creator hellomtthw and was spun on the decks as the DJ went side-by-side with Charli XCX at The Lexington's brat release party. The video of XCX's iconic sunglasses and long black locks getting down to the track in the Islington venue's sweaty attic upped excitement for those who had already been awaiting release.After all, the single had been a long time coming. The track marks the final reworked version of twst's 2023 EP TWST002 (Off-World).
That five-track project was the Welsh star's most impressive body of work to date. twst packaged her glitzy electropop sound into a hyper-online character that begged for engagement on 'Most Viewed', flew through galaxies on 'Off-World' and put pedal to the metal on the hugely impressive 'Catch Me (Beautiful Fall)'.
The original version of 'Upgrade' was the EP's most intimate moment as the singer sought to chop and change her own make-up like a Sims character. Producer CROOK takes a hammer to that ethereal vulnerability in an approach taken by the likes of Robyn in the past, welcoming sadness onto the dancefloor.
I finally heard the track in its intended club space over the weekend as hellomtthw dropped the flick at The Waiting Room's Let's Ride. Maximalist and loud, in the early hours of the morning and after a few drinks, CROOK’s twst rework fizzed into life. The remix is certainly an unearthed club classic.