Music / Qbomb

Life's final answer is to end and leave nothing behind
Even the ashes of the ruins that were left of mankind
Destroy the evidence that life was ever given a chance
The time has come to make my final cataclysmic advance!

— "1,000,000 A.D."

Qbomb is a band from Los Angeles consisting of six members. They specialize in "hyperpunk", a pioneered genre that combines elements of punk, metal, rap, and pop. They debuted with a 2018 EP called First Impact, then a full album called HYPERPUNK four years later. The album follows a loose story about the protagonist starting a band, and his following aggression and breakdown once it doesn't take off.

Tropes:

• Album Closure: "Overkiller", the last track on HYPERPUNK. The singer realizes that he will never truly be happy with himself, and everything he tries to do just backfires and makes him feel worse. He changes his aspirations to be more humble and reasonable... but then accepts that it'll never be enough, no matter what he does.
• Album Intro Track: "Buzzkiller" opens the album by introducing the band's new brand of music, with lyrics about their determination to make it work.
• Album Title Drop: The Album Intro Track of Hyperpunk, "Buzzkiller", includes the phrase "hyperpunk masters."
• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: In "A Minor Apocalypse", the singer's breakdown involves him describing two aggressive actions and then an incredibly mundane one.
  I am the human anathema
  The lack of logic
  Sometimes I put recyclables
  Into the wrong garbage
• Book Ends: The first track on HYPERPUNK begins with the sound of recording equipment being plugged in. The last song concludes with sounds of recording equipment being unplugged and lights shutting off.
• Call-Back: At one point in "1,000,000 A.D.", the same voice that reassures the protagonist that his mental health is a blessing in "Insania" reappears.
• Concept Album: HYPERPUNK has a loose story. The protagonist, who's very abrasive and questionably stable, wants to start a band and make loud music that proves that he's worth something. Someone spreads controversy about his band to defame him, and his aggressiveness leads him to "fuck it up" and lose all hope that his music will work. He goes insane and is convinced that he needs to be a "damaged legend" to make an impact, so he builds a giant robot to destroy life on Earth, but has another breakdown. He realizes that the problem is inside him, how he lies to make himself feel better, and as long as that's still happening, he'll never be satisfied. So he sets his aspirations for his band low... and still feels like it'll never be good enough.
• Creator Breakdown:invoked Part of the story in HYPERPUNK. Following his bad response to his band's controversy, the protagonist is convinced that "everything he makes is shit" and wants to go insane. Someone convinces him that his sanity is actually helpful, so he realizes that nothing he makes will ever actually work. Cue a Madness Mantra of "I still SUCK!"
• Cross-Referenced Titles: "Buzzkiller" and "Overkiller", the two tracks that bookend HYPERPUNK.
• Disproportionate Retribution: The singer goes to eradicate all life on Earth with a giant robot because people said bad things about the music he made.
• Downer Ending: "Overkiller" raises the question: when the protagonist is dying and reflecting on his life, will he truly be satisfied with everything he's tried to accomplish? No, since even his smaller and more realistic goals are still unsatisfying and not enough.
• Fun with Homophones: In "Dire Break", the singer wants a break from all the negative reception he's gotten for his hard work. The lyrics at the start say that "[I] want a dire break", but towards the end, it switches to "I'd rather die or break" (than have people replace him).
• Instrumentals: Released simultaneously with HYPERPUNK was its "Vocal Void Edition", consisting solely of the instrumentals of the songs and no vocals.
• Malicious Slander: Part of the story of HYPERPUNK. Early on, the singer's band becomes the subject of conflicting rumors, gossip, and "constant toxic shit" that he can't stop. Against his better judgment, he lashes back in an equally aggressive manner.
• Metal Band Mascot: Qbomb's mascot has a bomb with a skull face on it for a head.
• Obviously Not Fine: In "Everything Is Fine", the protagonist has anger outbursts and habits of overthinking everything he does, and can't get any real help for his problems. He repeatedly assures himself that "everything is fine" to try to feel better, but he hates and overthinks this, too.
  Put on a face like everything's great
  I can't erase that I really hate
  The way they try to say that
  I should live my life with naivety
• Omnicidal Maniac: The singer's response to people not liking the music he makes is to build a giant robot and wipe out all the life on Earth. "1,000,000 A.D." has him overwrite the robot's sense of morality to turn it into a mindless killing machine.
  Set free from empathy, my purpose is now clear in my heart
  I'll end all life within a thousand mile radial arc
  I'll crack the sky I’ll vaporize the air and turn rock to glass
  I am the infinite extinction event coming to pass
• Sanity Slippage Song: In "Insania", the singer believes that True Art Is Angsty and is having a creative breakdown. He tries to make himself go insane by repeatedly telling himself that his music sucks and nobody likes it, in order to get better ideas.
• Stealth Pun: As revealed on HYPERPUNK: Pretentious Edition, "A Minor Apocalypse" is called that because it's in the key of A minor.
• True Art Is Angsty:invoked Discussed in HYPERPUNK. The protagonist feels that, since his mind is sane and healthy, he can't make anything worthwhile. He wishes he was insane so he has dark experiences to draw from in his songwriting.
  It's not enough
  It's not enough
  I need a messed up life full of tragic stuff
  A little bit of grief
  A little bit of sadness
  Words come better when you're writing with a purpose

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