Bassvictim is reborn on “Forever”
Design by Katie Lew
by katie lew
bassvictim presents Forever as more than just another release. They announced this as their “first album” despite having two earlier full-lengths– Basspunk (2024) and Basspunk 2 (2025). This really shows the reset and reinvention of their bassvictim identity, they’ve clearly articulated this album is made to feel like a return to childhood wonder and unfiltered self. The album covers the full arc from innocent wonder to reflective maturity all encapsulated under their signature “basspunk” energy and style.
The duo, Ike Clateman and Maria Manow, formed in 2022 after running into each other at a party in London. In the dark booth of a basement club, Clateman noted he could feel the sub bass “in my chest and throat.” He then went to write the note in his phone, “I’m making out with the bass I’m inside the bass torture bass tortureed by the bass bass torture bass victim.” Leaving the intense environment of the club, he found Maria and proposed starting the bass-house project where the next day they made their first song “Air On a G-String.”
bassvictim had been posting a lot of inspirational quotes with the angel numbers 1010 and infinity symbol on Instagram leading up to the release of Forever like with the caption “1010 forever affirming… tomorrow (10.10) album, shit we never played before, made in 2 weeks in buttfuck nowhere Norway, inspired by everything and nothing.” Many have noted this as “bassvictim’s twee makeover” and will be regarded as “the lodestar for the oncoming twee revival.” But this album is what bassvictim has always been and always done, just way more personal.
Their new album has more screaming and child-like high pitched vocals in comparison to their previous projects like Basspunk and Basspunk 2. Opening Forever with “It’s Me Maria,” the album starts with a fun, catchy tone that works well as a starter track, although it’s initially slightly repetitive. It introduces you to Maria’s voice, persona, and world as it transitions into “27a Pitfield St.” These show the familiar bassvictim territory but hint at new themes of introspection of adolescence, like the verse “Full of people you don’t even know/ Full of your old friends that you miss and you hardly see no more/ I was on my way/ Far away, far away now/ Times gotta wait.” “Grow Up!!!” shows a complete shift with less heavy production and more emotional vulnerability. The instrumental oddly really reminded me of Maggie Rogers’ 2016 hit “Alaska” and her overall production style.
The interlude sets the stage for “Lil Maria,” which is one of the album’s high points. “Lil Maria” reads like a letter to Maria’s younger self, contrasting bassvictim’s previous style. “Don’t feel bad all day, life is good I swear.” At this point in the album, you really feel like you are being taken through her life; you watch the beginning of innocence slowly morph into doubt and insecurity as she is no longer present and gets caught up in the unpromising nature of her future. “Grass is Greener” struck a fun chord with the nursery-rhyme vibe and sense of club-bounce mixed with youthful naivety. With the chorus “The sun is always brighter when you don’t have glasses on/ The fight is always bigger when you don’t know what went wrong/ The love is always deeper if you have to fight for it,” this song shows the descents and realizations of consciousness. The track ends with “Stop resenting and move on you bitch/ Ayo/ Leave us alone you bitch” showing how the other side goes just as crazy as you idolize it.
“I’m sorry, King” flips the mood to be heavier, sadder, and more introspective and isn’t shrouded by overwhelming, clashing production like most of bassvictim’s tracks. It asks, “Which side do you want to be on,” which leaves off an unsettling loneliness and grandeur on what began as a lit clurb tracklist. The interlude “Ike Piano” felt random, yet at the same time, fitting. With the whole theme of innocence and childlike wonder being prominent, this sudden classical break felt natural. Maria Manow noted on her personal Instagram, “Shoutout to my primary music school, Panstwowy zespol szkol muzycznych w bydgoszczy, that kinda taught me how to play cello, then made me hate cello and music altogether but created a ripple that led me here… And for this listening party done with my dad in a park where that school is.” Many musicians come from a classical background—even if it’s a couple years playing the cello in primary school at an institute with the longest, craziest name I’ve ever heard (but I looked it up, it’s very real). Following the piano interlude, “Mr. President” has familiar instrumental echoes from earlier in the album but lulls and loses its initial momentum. The production across several tracks are very similar, but they are disbursed. The closing “Final Song” is self-explanatory in its title, but brought into focus that although the songs individually have strong moments, as a whole the album sometimes lacks distinct differentiation.
Overall, the album works as a statement, it’s bold and personal but still on brand. Arguably, “Grass is Greener” is the best track due to the playfulness and experimentation with various fun nursery-rhyme influences. It captures the essence of what the club was glamorized to feel like from a kid’s perspective. It feels like going to a birthday party and seeing there’s a bouncy house. “Final Song” felt like the weakest track since it did not have any unique qualities. The production reflects many of the others in a way that feels monotonous and unvaried while the lyrics are repetitive with no inherent purpose. If you’re a fan of bassvictim’s past bass-heavy club energy, this album might surprise you with its shifts toward intimacy and reflection, but their core artistry remains—the classic electronic bassvictim production and Maria’s spoken vocals. This is a worthwhile listen that feels like a bridge between who they were and who they’re becoming.