Jane Remover is a rapper, singer, songwriter, genre-maker and producer whose name is legendary in the internet hyperpop scene, known for their versatility and many aliases. Earlier this year, Jane dropped a shoegaze slacker rock record, “Ghostholding,” under the “venturing” alias.
The last album under the “Jane Remover” alias was “Census Designated” back in 2023, which expanded more on the rock sound we heard on, “Frailty,” which has become a cult-classic in its own right.
On “Revengeseekerz,” we get a complete departure from these sounds in favor of more hard-hitting electronic production and hip-hop vocal delivery. Longtime fans, however, might recognize that this is less of a departure and more of a return to form.
Remover’s first project, “Teen Week” featured this more hectic and abrasive production style and furthermore, their many “Dariacore” side projects went even further into glitchy and hardcore production.
“TWICE REMOVED” is an electrifying starter that establishes the sound of the rest of the record. There will be copious sounds in different layers, there will be odd hooks, you will hear Pokémon sounds and the song structure will provide an expansive journey.
“Psychoboost” is instantly alluring as soon as the first utterance of the chorus hits. The EDM production with heavy distorted synths is entrancing and inspires visions of a packed rave. Danny Brown complements this track excellently with his verse as he’s just one of those rappers whose wild vocal delivery and flow take any track to the next level.
The song has so many builds and drops without becoming stale, getting more intense at each drop to the point where we get some piercing hardstyle drums before Brown comes back with a surprise second verse. Tracks like this set Jane apart from their contemporaries and show why they are such an exciting figure for the digicore/hyperpop scene right now.
They further set themselves apart with the songs “angels in camo” and “TURN UP OR DIE.” The former has some of the most memorable productions on the project, from the simple, yet wild synth pattern at the start, to the glitched vocal melody. Both parts are insanely catchy and would be an instant recipe for a hit on its own, but Remover creates a complex soundscape, constantly taking the listener somewhere new with the beat having a different loop at least every four bars, and the song structure does the same, making room for bridges and variations on the chorus.
“TURN UP OR DIE” is a song that subverted my expectations with the title. I expected an up-tempo hardcore EDM track that goes full hog like it admittedly does in the first minute or so with an energetic verse delivered over hardstyle drums. However, I was delightfully surprised by how well-paced moments like the refrain and outro are at respectively building up and defusing the big drops with more melodic vocals.
The big theme of “Revengeseekerz” seems to be Remover dealing with their gained fame and how it affects their psyche and relationships with others. The theme plays out through the albums in both ways: the production and the lyrics. The production on this project is very self-referential, with nearly every song containing a sample or interpolation of their previous music across all of their main and side projects.
While Remover has explained logistically why they do it, thematically the callbacks to their earlier work serve as them acknowledging that they have evolved in terms of fame and artistry but also reminiscing on a calmer time. Lyrically, Remover speaks at length about these themes on more mellow tracks like “Star people,” “Dark night castle” and “JRJRJR.”
“JRJRJR” is bar none my favorite song on the whole album and a big contender for my favorite song of the year. Here, it serves as the outro for the album and does so to perfection. It starts with Remover’s new producer tag being cut off and repeated over and over as the pulse of the song before the beat picks up and we hear them rapping in the most determined and passionate way we’ve ever seen.
They have a whole six verses on this track dealing with topics like parasocial fans, fame, how they are perceived as an artist and the cyclical nature of their career. The main question being asked throughout is: “Should I change my name?” referring to the fact that they already changed their artist’s name after transitioning. This motif is so strongly tied together to the song by the fact that almost every main and background melody you hear are just repurposed samples of previous beats they’ve made and published under their deadname.
In essence, this track is lyrically rich in illustrating Remover’s shape-shifting identity as an artist and the production, by pairing their iconic sounds of the past with their new sound, works together to tell a complete story.
Jane sheds and embraces their past to reinvent themselves on “Revengeseekerz.” It’s a wake-up call to music listeners in the online age to reconsider pigeonholing these artists as simply “internet music” or “hyperpop.” It’s fun, introspective and unapologetically confident in its sound.
Rating: 5/5