“Acting like your wounds are fatal, woe is me.”
In a world where it feels like the politics are returning to the dismal past of the dark ages, there appears to be a resurgence of futuristic styles and apocalyptic imagery. Perhaps this is due to a longing for better times ahead, but knowing deep down it is likely to end in nuclear chaos. As a result, post-apocalyptic pop metal has a strange duality of dystopian faith. Fusing melodic hooks with gnarly guitar riffs, it’s the perfect combination for letting loose in the club. Lo Rays have been keeping their style consistent since their humble beginnings in 2020 by honing in on their aesthetic and reaching their audience through making tutorials of their creative music video endeavours. Currently, they are getting ready to drop their upcoming EP RE:BIRTH SEQUENCE alongside a tour of the UK.
Opening their EP on an anthemic track “Scapegoat” which dropped earlier in late 2025, they begin setting their apocalyptic scene. They use glitchy synthesisers and a vocal delivery that feels reminiscent of the early nightcore edits of pop songs, mixed by a fourteen-year-old in 2014. While the vocals feel distorted in an uncanny android sense, the delivery is fierce in a way only a human can be. Performing romantic verses alongside frantic vocal fries, as also heard in “Playing Both Sides” and “Cease and Decist”, vocalist Laura Takala proves she is a versatile performer with her skilled delivery. The apocalyptic aural content is largely down to the synthesizers, which are much more prominent than the grunge-meets-metalcore guitars, but this doesn’t mean they can’t throw down. “Playing Both Sides” has a very gratifying bridge with the aforementioned vocals and stomp-worthy grooves.
A stand-out feature on all the tracks is the drum and bass influence on the melody. Every track has a rhythmic quality that immediately makes the body want to groove, building apprehension through glitchy synthesisers and quick syncopated beats. However, the songs all follow the same pattern to a fault, blurring them together when digested in the EP format. Individually, each track contributes to the quality of the release, but unfortunately when listened to back-to-back, the limited approach to songwriting becomes overly evident, in a way that other genres, and metalcore at large, have been consistently overcoming in this day and age. The relatively downtempo closer “Until The End” adds some dynamics, but it’s a little too late – taking a “pop” approach shouldn’t excuse a lack of variety.
Lo Rays have managed to create an EP that has you questioning how tracks with such sad lyrics can be banging dance tracks. Each song reflects the drive and hard work put in since their first single. It’s a sign of great things to come for this project, but some work should be done towards diversifying their songwriting, especially if the next step is to be a full album.
7/10
RE:BIRTH SEQUENCE is out this Friday, 27th March, and can be pre-ordered here.