With "Memes," a six-song debut EP, Mike Vorpal has ventured out on his own, and in the process, shifted from intense storytelling to head-clearing that doesn't sound anything like clearing out the attic. Running at just shy of half an hour, Memes is a captivating dive into a world influenced by digital echoes and emotional aftershocks.
Veiled in dark wave textures and a guitar bite that cannot be mistaken, Vorpal's "Memes" is a late-night ride through the existential fog. It's about how we break up reality in snapshots of time that pass fast, says Vorpal, and it's an ethos that courses through every second of the EP. More than anything else on the album, the standout track "Manhunter" hits with striking tension, brooding synths, and razor-wire guitar riffs coming together to create a song that plays like a chase scene through one's psyche. "House of Capricorn," a slow-burning, shadow-drenched anthem that aches with planetary weight and personal reckoning, is just as captivating.
From top to bottom, "Memes" bring the introspective party. It's an investigation of alienation, connection, and memory filtered through a deeply human lens and soaked in post-modern melancholy. If you're into goth-influenced post-punk, or ambient rock, or you just want a soundtrack for your internal monologue, "Memes" is for you.
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