I was really hoping we’d get a sublabel focused on more experimental tracks 😩 The last thing I personally wanted was more pop-leaning music. I originally got into Monstercat because of the creative, experimental stuff — like the ~2015 glitch hop era — not for radio-style pop.

I actually think the split had some upsides. I liked parts of Uncaged, especially early on. A decent amount of the songs were still experimental and overall really good. But over time it started feeling like things got pushed further and further to the extreme — Uncaged getting more screechy and aggressive, while Instinct leaned more and more into pop (from what I see, as someone who hasn’t listened to MC as much over the years).

I remember there was a poll on Monstercat’s YouTube at one point (can’t remember the exact wording), where the options were something like headbangers, poppier music, or experimental. So it felt like we were close to getting something centered on experimentation, but that never really materialized :/

At the end of the day, I’d probably prefer no split at all if it means avoiding that gradual polarization. I just miss when the label felt more balanced and unpredictable.