I like the catchy synth riff and crisp beats at the beginning. The lead synth sounds a tad distorted in the mix at :16, and you can tell the higher-pitched synth is getting distorted by the heavy bass underneath at :27. You might try getting a bit stricter with the equalizers - really make sure that none of the harmonic instruments (i.e., everything except the bass or drums) have frequencies below 200 Hertz or so. I also think there are a couple of sudden transitions here, like at :51 and 1:03. That said, I like the cutesy instrumentation and more upbeat tone to the piece by 1:20 or so. The open hat at 1:27 is another element that seriously gets buried in the mix - that might be a good candidate for some stereo widening or something. During this middle section (1:20 - 2:30 or so), you also overuse the stop-start transitions, like at 2:01 and 2:14.
I like how you brought back the riff at the beginning at 2:19, although the vocal bridge didn’t quite work for me. It kinda disrupted the flow of the rest of the piece - it would’ve been better if you had kept the beat going while delivering the vocals at the same time. Again, the hat at 2:50 needs a bit of a boost in the mix, and much of the content during the next minute felt a bit repetitive. I like the transition with the arpeggios at 3:27, and the bass-y breaks at 3:47 are also cool, but the mid-range pad you layer on there at 3:51 needs to poke through the mix more. Towards the end, I would’ve liked to see you vary some of the main riffs a bit more, especially the one at 4:05. That said, the melodic flourish at the very end of the piece was very well done.
Overall, I like a lot of the compositional elements of the piece, as well as the sound design, but the mixing could use some cleaning up, and the arrangement is a bit choppy at times. Still, I really enjoyed the rhythmic content, creative drum lines, and rich atmosphere of the piece. Keep at it, AndrewCr! ^_^
Mixing, mastering, and balance
1/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.75/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.5/1
Composite score
7.25/10