EP Review: WEIRDO - 'Insomniac Ideas'
While it might be easy to dismiss WEIRDO’s moniker as being a result of his idiosyncratic style, scratch beneath the surface and it becomes apparent that though WEIRDO’s world might be a disorientating descent into debauchery, beneath the ski-mask feelings of isolation alienation, and anxiety manifest.
Indeed, his latest EP, Insomniac Ideas feels much the same. Part neon lit Berlin basement party, part heart-on-sleeve confessional, it’s four tracks of paranoid skittishness, pseudo egotism, bedroom diatribes and narcotic euphoria, replete with the emotions that come hand in hand with such honest hedonism.
Opening track “<#3BRKR” throbs and fizzes with a freneticism coloured by the aforementioned paranoia. The lyrics, though sycophantic, bely a wealth of insecurities that edge ever closer to overspill, by the time the song reaches it’s desperate conclusion one can’t help but think the only person WEIRDO is trying to convince with the songs bleak refrain is himself.
Following track “321MEOUT” dials down the paranoia but feel no less pleading in its delivery. Drawing its influence from a less atypical spring its perhaps the most accessible offering across the EP, though shows yet another of WEIRDO’s facets.
Retaining the same bassline as its predecessor, “MDRNMN” picks the electronic and esoteric aesthetic back up perfectly. Throbbing with a dull intensity that builds at the track progresses, its as idiosyncratic as its producer, and its easy to hear this filling the floors of clubs and festivals whenever we’re able to frequent them again.
Despite on the surface seeming to be an upbeat if not somewhat esoteric offering, Insomniac Ideas has more to say than it first lets on. Far more three-dimensional than it’s angular electronica would otherwise suggest, it feels like a journey through the hedonistic highs and anxiety-ridden lows that seem so commonplace amongst those of our generation. And while it might well be built on WEIRDO’s own personal insecurities, they’re delivered with such honesty they can’t help but resonate.
Words by Dave Beech