MAH KEE OH, the project of Grahm Robinson, sounds like he’s down with an acute case of woe is moi. The bedroom artist from Denton, Texas makes songs slower than a turtle on quaaludes, generally meant to be listened to while draped in dark curtains. Enveloped in an overcast sense of existential dread, it’s not exactly the music you can listen to at any given time, but then again, what is? His latest EP What Do You Believe In? continues this and it’s a gloomrock fan’s wet dream.
He kicks things off with “Remedy,” reminiscent of 90s grunge, using Kurt Cobain’s depressive, de-emphasized vocals and an Alice In Chains-style harmony. It’s brought into the new age courtesy by a synth arpeggio that balances out the ancient with the a la mode. You’d rarely hear a keyboard section like that back in the day, perhaps because it was shunned as being too close to the glitzy fanfare of 80s glam. Decades have passed, tastes have changed, and palettes have evolved (hopefully for the better), so the pleasingly paradoxical sounds of fuzzy grunge with poppy pulses work wonders. The song closes with the vocals and lead guitar crooning the same melody. While this might not be the most memorable of tracks, it effectively sets the tone for What Do You Believe In? and readies the stage for the rest of the listening experience.
“Don’t You,” the second song on the EP, is Xanax in sonic form fed into the listener through a sippy cup because it’s just that incapacitating. You’ll be sinking into your paash baalish (what Bengalis call their favorite pillow) within the first few notes. It’s a simple but effective mix of ride cymbals, droning guitar notes, and a few synth hits. At just about 2 minutes long, the song is a tease that invites repeated listens and desperately needs a 10-hour loop on YouTube. This tune also veers away from the grunge vibe to sound more like the immersive, hazy mellowness of the psychedelic rock band Crumb.
When you’re halfway through “How Long,” the third track on the album, you’re transported to the distinctly dystopian sound of Temple of the Dog (“Black Hole Sun” specifically), but with a gentler timbre and a more contemporary edge. The hushed singing paired with a celestial synth line marks the song’s transition into a new musical era that balances grunge, indie, and shoegaze with poise. The vocals are soothing, letting the instrumentation do the heavy lifting while maintaining an overarching view of the void. Robinson uses his voice like a cosmic being that pulls at the strings but doesn’t interfere in the daily goings on of the music. The overdriven guitar is the star of this downtempo show, carrying the song as the rest of the instruments hypnotically fade away, leaving behind a sense of both hope and despair.
What Do You Believe In? closes with “In My Arms,” which starts on a brooding, harmonic riff that’s an instant earworm, building anticipation for what’s to come. Lo-fi hits of a snare and cymbal add frosting to the ambience, and there’s a beautiful interplay between the keys and guitars before you realize this is a purely instrumental track. As that realization hits, it feels as though MAH KEE OH read your mind, and all the instruments start melting down a path of detuned surrealism. Off-key stabs of the synth jab at the lobes, and the drums crash out into a puddle of arrhythmia. This was MAH KEE OH’s plan all along—to build up an aural monument of crystal serenity, before smashing it down with brutal dissonance.
You have to give credit to Robinson—considering he produced and mixed the music himself— he’s captured the rebellious melancholy of the genre down pat. However, this does have its drawbacks as he’s also embraced the borderline nonsensical aura of emo teenage angst in all its exasperating glory. Case in point, his Spotify bio is a pseudo-profound jumble of words without any periods. Here’s an excerpt: “’When talking with friends forever will be my friend even if i don’t acknowledge it it will make me bleed and it will make you bleed.” It’s all a bit pretentious, but some might call it art.
MAH KEE OH’s What Do You Believe In? is an evocative exploration of grunge, gloom, and the beauty in melancholy. Blending the genres of the 90s with his own vivid emotional soundscapes—self-produced at that—is a testament to his mastery of melodic mood-making. He’s also impressively deliberate with his pacing, refusing to sway from his haunting, sludgy, and emotionally charged sadboi music style. So if you’re a heartbroken 30-year-old, a jobless 20-year-old, or a pissed-off teenager who didn’t get a PS5 for Christmas, check this release out.
