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EP Review – “Memes” by Mike Vorpal

With Memes, Mike Vorpal delivers a brooding, genre-bending debut EP that fuses darkwave, grunge, and cinematic post-rock into a 29-minute journey through the fragmented psyche of the digital age. Across six tracks, Vorpal explores themes of paranoia, identity, and existential dread, not with melodrama, but with nuance and bold sonic choices that reward deep listening.

Opening track “Planet Earth” immediately sets a disorienting tone, beginning with underwater-like textures before erupting into sludgy, doom-laden guitar riffs. The vocals creep in with a grunge melancholy, weaving a mood that’s both heavy and dreamlike. It’s an introduction that dares the listener to enter Vorpal’s warped soundscape.

“Manhunter,” perhaps the standout track, is a dense, hypnotic wall of sound. Guitars snarl and shimmer with a restrained violence, recalling early '90s British rock while laced with the sinister beauty of post-rock. The vocals are cold and precise, enhancing the psychological unease that defines the song’s unsettling aura.

On “House of Capricorn,” Vorpal pivots to an introspective, ballad-like structure. Reversed guitar effects and tremolos evoke a spectral atmosphere, while the subdued vocals add a mournful, almost cinematic quality. It’s a track that feels like staring into a fading memory—soft, eerie, and beautiful.

The fourth track, “Charlatan,” introduces itself with a vintage film sample before diving into pure darkwave territory. Synths and MIDI tones provide a retro-futuristic bedrock for raw, rock-inflected vocals. It’s a bold move, and one that pays off—melding nostalgia with modern urgency.

“Q” is the EP’s most aggressive offering, beginning with a massive riff that evokes classic rock heroes like Deep Purple, but quickly descends into darker, more volatile territory. The track feels unhinged in the best way, showing that Vorpal can lean into chaos without losing control.

Finally, “Overboard” closes the EP with bass and drum interplay that lays the groundwork for a bleak, spoken-word delivery. As it progresses, dissonant and noisy textures rise to the forefront, dragging the listener into a sonic abyss before ending in a haunting blur—echoing the EP’s strange beginning.

In Memes, Mike Vorpal embraces risk and refuses to settle into one genre. The result is a coherent yet unpredictable EP that challenges, disturbs, and lingers long after the last note. This is an artist with vision, and we’re eager to see how it expands on a full-length album.

Rating: 4/5

Michael Morrison (@mikevorpal) • Photos et vidéos Instagram

(29) Mike Vorpal - YouTube

Mike Vorpal - Memes

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