In 2023, Quannnic’s “Life Imitates Life’ debuted at #23 on Billboard’s Hot Hard Rock Songs and #9 on Spotify’s Viral 50. The then-19-year-old received immediate online stardom and soon began touring alongside pioneers like Slowdive in 2024. In just a couple years, shoegaze rocketed into the collective consciousness of those with internet access, a far cry from its neglected and overlooked origins.
Shoegaze’s newfound virality, propelled by an influx of social media and online interest, can be categorized as an entirely separate entity from its DIY origins. With artists like Flying Fish, Quannnic, and Wisp leading the new wave—young artists centering digital production over in-person jam sessions—it’s difficult to discern where the genre is at when its reach is broad, scattered, and somewhat aimless. But with Warbrained, Quannnic’s eclectic mix of digitally encoded shoegaze, grunge, and emo proves that he—alongside legendary figures from the genre reemerging into the limelight—has more to say for a genre exploding with excessive online bloat.
His debut record Kenopsia embraced the digital aesthetics it was founded on. Wavering electronics and simple drum pad beats, with his voice rendered under intense digital modulation, make up the core of the record. Three years later, Nick Quan’s Kenopsia is more a time capsule of a particular online moment, the moment the music industry found its new acts through social media metrics, the moment when artists became both musicians and publicists, placating through algorithms just to get noticed. But mostly, it captures the visual iconography that shoegaze has come to be known for—young adults, coming off the tail end of an isolating pandemic, making music in their bedrooms with nothing but a computer and a DAW.
It’s a visual that Warbrained intentionally veers away from. Opener “Prunesnail” sounds as though it’s formed through aimless jam sessions. Lackadaisical guitars squeal with intense feedback as a droning bassline rumbles through the track’s muddied production. Quan’s vocals croon on top of droning guitars until breaking into a heartfelt chorus on “Paperweight.” “Scolder” paints a melancholic picture as the track moves through a Duster-inspired groove. Ambient guitars quickly transform into a powerful bellow as Quan belts through the noise. “I never said I would leave/I miss when you scolded me.”
Fuzzed guitars and drenched vocals make it easy for a creeping melancholia to take over. But it’s the bittersweetness of “Heavensafe” where emotions truly run high. Reverberated guitars sway with a delicate touch, painting images of a slow walk on the beach with a heavy overcast. Then the thunderstorm hits. Overbearing guitars drift on top a moving bassline. The percussion picks up speed as Quan’s modulated vocals drown by the weight of everything around him.
Warbrained masters the digital aesthetics of his 2022 debut. It’s difficult to decipher whether Quan is fighting through digitally modulated guitars or abrasive synths on “Aviator.” The track opens with a musical smack in the face. An overblown bass lays the foundation, allowing for abrasive drum fills to encompass the track in anger. Meanwhile, Quan tries to make sense of his confused emotional state. “And there’s so many things I wish I didn’t care to do,” he muses as the chorus brings back the explosive rigor of the intro.
Lead single “Observer” brings the titular Deftones inspired sound that has come to encompass modern shoegaze. It trudges with immense anger, with Quannnic taking the mantle of commander in chief. Here, he’s aggressive, confident, and even begins to rap towards the track’s finale. It brings the swagger with enough energy to make it feel natural and earned.
Finding a balance between the new and the old isn’t on Quannnic’s agenda. In fact, he finds comfort in his own niche musical repertoire. The ’90’s alt rock “Floorface” would only make sense within Quan’s own musical canon. Like the calm before the storm, electronic tremolos are the seagulls that introduce us to the danger ahead. The first wave of abrasive feedback hits us, leaving us with another lull comprised of Quan’s jaded vocals and signature blown out production. Or take closer “Wardeath,” a slower track dripping with dripping pianos and atmospheric electronics. Then the chorus hits with bit-crushed guitars that reminds of Merzbow’s brick wall of noise. And it’s this constant oscillation where Quannnic finds himself at ease. Not chasing the sounds of the past or trying to predict the future, but instead, focusing on the now. It’s here, in this in-between state, where Quannnic finds his stride.
Warbrained is out via deadAir.
