brakence reaction

Evan Jack
3 min readDec 2, 2022

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brakence, my favorite artist and the only artist who has never made a bad song just released his new album, hypochondriac, about five minutes ago. So, I figured I would listen to them for the first time and just let myself write as the songs go on. I’m quite excited!

Reaction to “introvert” (yes it is really this good, I’m not being dramatic):

I’m on the verge of tears, of vomiting, of hyperventilating

I can only let out a breath of laughter in this state of a sheer awe

All I can feel is the big toe of my right foot dig into the bottom of my left thigh

I’m in tears

Breathing is a strenuous activity in these conditions

Reaction to “hypochondriac”:

Rising

Reaction to “5g” (yes it is really this good, I’m not being dramatic):

The hi hats are oppressive

The sound has my whole body in a kind of slow paroxysm

I’m like the waves

My eyes are ready to let loose

Tears well up

I am in a peaceful freedom

This awe I am in is expressed in a breath followed by silence

Reaction to “deepfake” (yes it is really this good, I’m not being dramatic):

The strumming of the bass animates me

His voice is a vitalizing force

How can I not cry in the presence of the sublime?

I’m in an ecstatic anguish

Breathing has become a manual activity

Reaction to “preparation exercise no. 7 (trembling)”:

Dots are exploding

Repetition takes the air out of my lungs

I’m thrown into the jungle

The beat bounces me, I’m nothing but a ball being dribbled by some divine force

Reaction to “stung” (YES it is really this good, I’m not being dramatic):

Orgasm

Playful convulsions bloom all around

I’m overwhelmed, reflectively speechless

I am nothing but pure will

Any angst present in my mind has been annihilated, this state I am in is totally beyond worry

The guitar and drums crush me, I am their playtoy which they can physically manipulate however they please

His voice is a pathway to my soul

Reaction to “teeth” (yes it is really this good, I’m not being dramatic):

“Ooh,” is my only utterance, I am caught up in delightful surprise

These sounds: my right eye twitches

My belly rumbles, yet I feel no hunger; this song nourishes my soul, physical food is not something I need any longer

I am thrown into a faster time, it passes by quicker, then slows

Reaction to “intellectual greed”:

I’ve been captured

Like a river, I flow

Like the waves, I crash

Bouncing

My arms are free

I am in a haze

So, those were my first “reactions” to the album.

Many have said that they would be interested in my reaction to drugs or alcohol. But I don’t understand why… I’m never going to do them nor am I ever going to drink alcohol.

Why do drugs or drink alcohol when you can listen to music?

I know I’ve said this countless times but I only repeat it because of its evident truth: if anything is evidence for the soul it is music.

I actually cannot even begin to understand how music can get better than this. I’m so serious. I am not joking! How will any song surpass, for example, “stung”? I have no idea! I’m unsure if that is even possible. brakence CONTINUALLY outdoes himself. How he does it? I do not know, nor do I ever hope to.

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Evan Jack
Evan Jack

Written by Evan Jack

How sweet terror is, not a single line, or a ray of morning sunlight fails to contain the sweetness of anguish. - Georges Bataille

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