- "Cookie Jar" is Steve Bug's first new material as Traffic Signs in nearly a decade. Apparently inspired by the success of 2013's Steve Bug Presents Traffic Signs compilation, the original's components—jacking Chicago house synths, claps and percussion—fit neatly with the early-'00s cuts on that collection. Where the track diverges, however, is with Jake The Rapper's vocal. It's a strange, syrupy thing that muses at length on the titular snack, shoehorns in an irritating reference to Instagram, and sounds as if it's being delivered through a hail of Chips Ahoy crumbs. It's all clearly intentional, but that doesn't make it any more enjoyable.
The heavier bass and more muscular keys of Bug's "Dirty Fingers Mix" feel less queasy, but it still isn't something I'll be revisiting in a hurry. The druggy bassline and layers of echo and distortion on Joyce Muniz's remix make for an effective club track that, pleasingly, partially covers the vocal, while her almost vocal-free dub version completes the palate-cleansing.
TracklistA1 Cookie Jar (Steve Bugs Dirty Fingers Mix)
A2 Cookie Jar
B1 Cookie Jar (Joyce Muniz Remix)
B2 Cookie Jar (Joyce Muniz Dub Remix)