Kota R.A. - Wocked Out
Kota R.A. is a bedroom music artist from a small town in Montana. This artist typically creates guitar-driven music that fits under multiple genres including Post Punk, Dark Wave and Shoe Gaze, though Kota R.A.’s latest work explores darker sounds. Today we are excited to share our thoughts on Kota R.A.’s album, Wocked Out!
Wocked Out opens with “Germ”, a brief track which features a dark, rising feeling to it that I found to be unsettling. I feel like this song sets the tone for the album extremely well with its dark notes. “Casted” follows and speeds things up a bit, holding on to the dark atmosphere a bit but opening up a lush soundscape along the way. I really felt like this song was easily enjoyable, reminding me of some of my favorite darker Post-Punk groups. Third is “Synthesis” which features some impressive, spacey synth work. Additionally, there is some real vibrant energy within this song which becomes especially evident once the guitar kicks in about a quarter of the way in. The fourth track from Wocked Out is “deluge” which has this certain slow softness to it that gives it a reflective and nostalgic kind of feel; the song also reminds me of water levels from some of my favorite video games, truly befitting of the song’s name.
Fifth from Wocked Out and the longest track on the album is “Delirium Of Babel” which comes in at seven minutes and thirty-five seconds. From its opening guitar work throughout its entire duration, this song will hold your attention at the ready; the way it evolves throughout its runtime keeps me coming back to this song. “Wockey” is up next; this song starts quiet before rising into a crunchy, distorted high and through subsequent rises and falls provides a very appealing experience. The penultimate track from Wocked Out is “Forgotten”. This piece really buys into the nature of its title, creating a disorienting and uncomfortable atmosphere that feels exceptionally hazy; I really like the placement for this song, coming in as the second to last one on the album. Closing out the album is “For What Remains is a Conclusion” which is exceptionally reflective in the way that it feels. Perhaps the strongest song on the album, it is slotted perfectly as the album’s closer, causing you to reflect on what came before it and it truly is a masterpiece of a song.
Wocked Out is darker than Kota R.A.’s previous releases and it is also this artist’s best-produced work yet. A thoroughly enjoyable experience from start to finish, this album has filled a need for me that I forgot I had - one that groups like Explosions in the Sky used to fill - by offering up deeply emotive and enjoyable Rock-based instrumental songs. You can keep up with Kota R.A. through Facebook and Instagram. We have Wocked Out embedded below via Spotify - check it out and send Kota R.A. some love!
