Q releases his latest single, "Mike Vorpal," off his debut solo EP, "Memes." Part noir poetry and part dissonance, the song itself seems to pulse with a dark wave heartbeat, stitched together with streaky guitars and almost feverish energy that isn't looking for your attention, it's demanding it.
"Mike Vorpal" is a plunge into Q's cerebral universe. From the icy synths that open the track, it's like the aural equivalent of cold neon light on wet asphalt, to the razor-sharp guitar textures that slash through the mix, the song teeters on a razor's edge between catharsis and chaos. It's industrial in the gut sense of the word, but never robotic. There's a warmth beneath the chill, a peculiar humanity that gives the track its edge. The lyrics are more impressionistic than narrative, deepening the mystery. Q doesn't explain feelings, he draws in black and white, and we figure out how it applies to us in the noise. Whether it's a comment on digital identity, emotional split, or just an exorcism, "Mike Vorpal" is unapologetically personal, entirely akin to a diary page ripped and wailed into a microphone.
Production-wise, the song is gritty. It's all very intentional and hacky, but in the most charming way. It's music that breathes and sometimes hyperventilates. It is the sound of someone less concerned with trends than with creating a personal mythology. If "Mike Vorpal" is the sword, then "Memes" are the sheath, every track whets the next. And so, for an artist whose lush and evocative songwriting is already a hallmark, the EP positions Q as a purveyor of the in-between, the genre-less, and the self-telling with confidence.
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