So, when this album cover came my way on Bandcamp, my first thought was it was going to be some sort of retro 8 bit throwback. It looks very video game inspired in its Wimmelbilderbuch of all these characters and objects clashing together for space on the canvas. After listening to it, it’s not what I expected, but the music that Trinket has displayed on here, fits the atmosphere and sounds insanely colorful and fun. This album fits in the realm of hyperpop and digicore, which are two eccentric genres that synergize so well together to make the chaos of tsubi club’s Trinket. He goes into the album of someone who is trying to get by and grasp on who he is himself. A very understandable and normal thing young people do as they get thrown into the scary new world. Its upbeat art is used for lashing out, venting out, and crashing out with its 28 minute runtime. And someone like tsubi club (known as Soren) was able to take that chaos and was able to make a hot mess of a sound to not sound like a mess. I’ve never heard of the man before, but Soren has been making music for a long time. After sporadic releases he decides to come out in full swing on this debut from last April. I can tell how his eccentric character is chronically online. I mean…he has a Newgrounds account for God’s sake! He’s not even afraid to express his love of cartoons here. I hear influences of Porter Robinson and some verses he reminds me of singer and rapper, Aries. The album even has some emo in some places. So, even though it’s not a video game salute with its Dr. Wily-ass character on the cover, however Trinket is fun, whimsical, explosive, and most of all, very human.
“Reclusive Wizard Leaves Tower” is a great intro to going to adventure the unexpected with its dynamic progression to this explosion. “Alright, not bad, kid!” “You’re Serious, Aren’t You?” is another moment where tsubi club hypes up the moment going into “Lil Qoo”. If you want to get hyped, listen to this song as it is loud and infectious in its hook as Soren uses his interest in art to become the metaphor of his outlook of life. Hell, even the bridge is catchy as hell! Well, double hell! The things I loved about “BURNMATERIAL” were the pop rap verses, the way it builds up at the end, the screaming, and how expressive Soren came to be here. The next track is stylized as (╥﹏╥), but Soren said this track is named “motion sickness”. He goes into the anxiety that has got him discombobulated from either the pressure of his social life or his creativity. It got us a good banger though!
It sets us down on “(fallout)” and we landed smoothly, but with comfort, it takes us up again in this inspirational progression. “Walk it off, kid.”, the supporting role model says. As “all-time chump” gets a little industrial and we get thrown with these chopped up vocals, as Soren gets thrown into the arena fighting for his life or the approval of his fans. We have no choice, but to cheer him off with these catchy refrains and these industrial claps going on in this colorful pop pep rally. We get a rocker on “bbbackboard” as it sounds like the running of a school hall with Soren fighting for himself and others. Others being as some people interpret for consolidating his trans friend for coming out as he stood by her side. It’s a sweet tune. After reminiscing about the old times on “Recap”, he ends it by describing himself as drowning, but comes back swinging on the closer, “landslide”. Man, at first I wasn’t into it, but this might be one of my favorite closers of the year. It’s a warcry, a cheer, and a slap on the back to keep you on keeping on. I love Soren’s interpolation of a tune from the goated show, Clarence (despite its horrific creator). But the line, “I’m feeling the pressure, only gets better.” is such an uplifting bar, as it tells anyone who’s struggling, don’t give up on your dreams or yourself. The man then tells you, “You did it kid, you won by a landslide!”
I can take or leave some of the tracks here as they don’t hit as hard as the favored ones for me, whether it’s not as memorable or they’re too short. So, if having a short album has these speed bumps then it does kind of hinder the experience. “You’re Serious, Aren’t You?” being the biggest offender as it just seems to be a buildup to the greater “Lil Qoo”. And I just want more content in Trinket. More of this fun creativity.
This album was fun, but it grew on me with repeated listens. One thing, I’m grateful of this blog is I give albums like these more of a chance that I would dismiss these after one listen. But I’m sure other artists would get lost in the ether if everyone does that and tsubi club is no exception. Soren talks about the expectations of how his art would be received, but he should be damn proud of himself. It’s not only colorful bangers here, but it has very relatable words of wisdom to get anyone on track with their life. It’s a very brief album, but it has more bangers for its buck. The positivity here is authentic as much as its fun factor. But I’m happy for the cartoon homages and also happy for the actor, Daniel Riordan chiming in to be your cheerleader on the sideline. Because Soren wants to let you know he’s got your back, as you swing the bat harder and hit the ball farther.
FAVORITE TRACKS: RECLUSIVE WIZARD LEAVES TOWER, LIL QOO, BURNMATERIAL, (╥﹏╥), (FALLOUT), ALL-TIME CHUMP, BBBACKBOARD, LANDSLIDE
LEAST FAVORITE: YOU’RE SERIOUS, AREN’T YOU?
You can purchase this album on Bandcamp and his discography is also available for streaming. Links down below.
[Bandcamp] [Apple Music] [TIDAL]
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