Four years after hypochondriac marked brakence (Randy Findell) as a hyperpop innovator, the Ohio musician returns with marroW, an 18-track album released October 23 via Columbia Records. Blending alternative rock, electronic music, emo, glitch-pop, and post-hardcore, the sprawling project is both creatively rewarding and dark.
Unlike hypochondriac’s frantic electronic production, distorted guitars, and intimate turmoil, marroW takes a more theatrical approach. Over its 68-minute runtime, brakence builds an unsettling sonic world of surreal imagery, fractured identities, and recurring characters, expanded by browser games and cryptic promotional lore. The album shines brightest when songwriting and production collide naturally, unburdened by this mythology. Openers ‘madeleine‘ and ‘death rolL‘ pivot from a dark atmosphere into distorted guitars, restless percussion, and melodic rap, while ‘Problem Child‘ and ‘wishing well‘ provide melodic, accessible contrast.
The album’s aggressive tracks, such as ‘tougH‘, ‘bitE‘, and ‘ready or noT‘, combine abrasive instrumentation, electronic textures, and theatrical vocals. Conversely, ‘crystallized‘ showcases a softer, restrained side. However, marroW‘s hour-plus length can feel exhausting due to constant production shifts and dense arrangements. At times, cryptic lyrics and intricate metaphors designed for the album’s fictional universe bury the songwriting and emotional impact, as on ‘jesteR‘ and ‘guessworK‘.
The album shifts toward vulnerability near the end, with ‘heart‘ and ‘do what you can‘ stepping back from harsh production. The finale, ‘With Or Without it‘, delivers a dramatic, resolving finish through stripped-down sections and swelling intensity. Here, marroW’s emotional core comes into clearer focus, even if occasionally obscured.
Ultimately, marroW is an ambitious, uncompromised record that, while occasionally exhausting and less emotionally precise than hypochondriac, proves brakence’s willingness to push alternative pop boundaries.
Listen to marroW:
