Skrillex Album Review: Quest For Fire & Don’t Get Too Close

Skrillex broke out into the music scene in 2010 after releasing his Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites EP. He’s become known for revolutionizing dubstep and paving the way for the genre to infiltrate the mainstream. Now, to piggyback off his many successes, which include a number of Grammy nominations and awards, Skrillex has dropped not one but two brand new albums, Quest For Fire, and Don’t Get Too Close. In accordance, we’ve dropped our Skrillex album review to cover both new releases in depth.

But first, watch what Skrillex has been up to lately!

First, Skrillex shared Quest For Fire with the world. Skrillex’s Quest For Fire album consists of fifteen beaming tracks featuring a wealth of top notch talent. Perhaps one of the most well-known tracks already is a collaborative effort with rapper Missy Elliot and producer Mr. Oizo. “RATATA” has become an overnight Tik Tok sensation, satisfying fans and social media scrollers alike. 

Another instant hit was “Rumble” with Fred again.. and Flowdan. Fred again.. and Skrillex have run in the same circle for a while, but more recently made that relationship top of mind as they’ve been touring together alongside Four Tet. In fact, Skrillex dropped his second album (which we’ll dive into later) during his Madison Square Garden show with Fred again.. and Four Tet.

“Rumble” truly is a collaborative masterpiece. Both Skrillex and Fred again.. are monsters in the studio leaning on various genres to create a masterpiece that is both hyped up and soulful. They’ve very carefully enlisted vocalist and producer Flowdan to compliment their efforts.

Another notable mention in Quest For Fire is “Butterflies” with Starrah and Four Tet. The track is eclectic, emotive, and well-suited for the dancefloor.

Skrillex’s Quest For Fire album notably has more EDM features than Don’t Get Too Close. Quest For Fire also sees collaborations with Peekaboo, BEAM, Noisa, and Porter Robinson, all beloved names in the dance music scene. For this reason, the first album is definitely more influenced by electronic and dance sounds, while the latter is more pop and hip-hop-leaning.

Skrillex’s Don’t Get Too Close album is infectious, angsty, and full of collabs with heavy hitters–even Justin Bieber! Due to its pop and hip-hop influences, you might hear tracks from this collection permeating beyond the walls of dance music and into the mainstream. The album hits many different genres: house music, pop, rap, hip-hop, and more. Additional notable features include Kid Cudi, Swae Lee, and PinkPanthress, among others.

Given the fact that Skrillex’s fanbase is primarily EDM fans, some might argue that Don’t Get Too Close is the less popular of the two. It’s definitely a collection suited more for a party than a rave, but luckily Skrillex’s style is versatile enough for any occasion.

Don’t Get Too Close is nostalgic in a way. Some of the sounds are influenced by early 2000s emo-rap–the days when Skrillex was in the midst of his rise to stardom. You’d be lying if you listened to the album through and through and said you didn’t get taken back to a different era in music and in life. 

Both albums are phenomenal in our eyes and in the opinion of millions of fans who repeatedly stream the new collections. But it’s time to address the room–where has Skrillex been? We haven’t heard much from him in recent years, and then all of a sudden he pops up in London and New York City with one of the hottest names in dance music right now (Fred again..) and drops two albums back-to-back. After his rise to fame in 2010, his Jack Ü era with Diplo a few years later, and his 2014 Recess album, Skrillex’s name slowly faded from the mainstream. No new releases, no tour dates, and no festival appearances…many fans were left wondering what happened to Skrillex?

Around 2019, Skrillex resurfaced to revive Dog Blood, a musical duo between himself and Boys Noize, the Berlin-based techno and house aficionado. Dog Blood dropped a four-track EP TURN OFF THE LIGHTS, played a few festivals that season, and then slowly faded away. Again, fans were left wondering what happened to Skrillex and whether he would tour solo or with a group again. Plus, Covid putting the entire dance music scene at a halt in 2020, it would be difficult for any DJ to make their big comeback. 

In 2021, Skrillex’s name started popping up on festival lineups again. He made a few appearances but failed to address his absence or clue fans into what the future of his project(s) will look like. As 2022 rolled around, he even canceled two festivals he was scheduled to headline, Sunset Music Festival in Tampa and Movement Electronic Music Festival in Detroit. His reasoning was vague–he said he was busy working on music. On Instagram, he shared, “I’ve been working very hard on finishing my albums and haven’t had enough time to prepare for the upcoming shows.” At that point, it was difficult for fans to envision what the future of Skrillex could look like, or if it even existed. 

Then, Skrillex’s name started popping up in the same conversations as rising star Fred again.. and later veteran DJ Four Tet. The three had played several pop-up shows together in London and then in New York City, which ultimately led into Quest For Fire and Don’t Get Too Close. 

Around this time (and on the DJ’s 35th birthday), Skrillex revealed the truth about his absence during the past few years, claiming it was not because he was working on his albums, but “It was because I was working on myself.” He said, “For the first time in 4-5 years I’ve found a new sense of peace. It took so much work and sacrifice to get here.”

He went into detail, “Had the toughest year of my life in 22, as did so many others. I literally found myself with no drive and purpose for the first time in my life”. Skrillex explained how his mother’s passing contributed to the hardships he’s experienced. “I never ever coped with it … I drank the pain away and kept going”

In a follow-up tweet, he continued, “People ask why “I’ve been gone” or “fell off”, rightfully so. Like I said, 22’ was sort of my tipping point, I had to put everything on ice, especially my projects/career.”

Now that Skrillex is back in the game, the future of dance music may be headed in a fresh direction.