brakence hypochondriac album review

brakence is a self-proclaimed hypochondriac

By Christina Ryan-Wilson

brakence, the chronically lowercase Gen Z-er and self-described “self care punk”, serves as his generation’s everyman on his third album, hypochondriac. He takes notes from hyperpop peers such as Jeremy Zucker (whom brakence has been likened to excessively in the past), fellow undercase enthusiast blackbear, and pays homage to his roots (Columbus, Ohio) with a midwest emo undercurrent that flows throughout. 

A voice shrouded in autotune greets the listener on the introductory track, “bugging!”, as brakence emulates the aforementioned Zucker, indulging in cliches commonly reserved for lovesick teenagers (“Cause you gave me the butterflies”) before seamlessly transitioning into the next, titled “caffeine”, implementing a number of spoken word samples. The braggadocious track finds its pulse in an alt-trap instrumental and punk melody as brakence boasts “I’m not even twenty-one” and wishes the target of the narrative luck that they’ll ever find anyone like him, an endearingly swaggering statement from someone who wears his musical influences so brazenly on his sleeve.

brakence is most vocally impressive on tracks such as “venus fly trap” and “argyle”, deftly floating between highs and lows, dreamy inflections and raw-throated screams, while production undoubtedly takes the cake on others – it’s his lyricism and melodic prowess that seldom leaves much to ponder. brakence’s swiftness to lament his position as an internet-bred popstar is as intriguing as it is draining. His self-awareness works well for him on “teeth”, where he admits “this shit’s so overwhelming / mix self-expression with self-obsession” and he unabashedly indulges in cliches (“No time, I already lost my adolescence”), and his resentment is repetitive, (“But fuckers all pretend that they didn’t doubt me” on “intellectual greed”, “You motherfuckers was a waste of time” on “cbd”). 

Reflection seems to be what bodes the best for brakence lyrically, confessing “I was tryna make a living / Well, now, I just wanna be dead” and self-conflict takes center stage as he howls, “I just wanna be dead,” then an internal voice arguing, “Don’t be that brash,” on “argyle”. 

Towards the end of the 13-track record, the artist proposes a profound question via AI on “deepfake”, “So when you hit replay, who are you really listening to?” Though it poses an interesting question regarding the relationship between a musician's personhood and their character as an artist, brakence may not be able to pull it off just yet. In the future, sure, but it feels a bit misplaced presently. 

brakence’s themes and motifs are refreshingly transparent – the highs and lows of the inevitable growth into adulthood, feeling uncared for and exploited, the thin line between self-love and self-hatred, self-care and self-destruction; they just run their course over 52 minutes, and the listener is simultaneously left weary and pining for more.

brakence is currently on tour. you can check out our review from his show in Chicago here