SONG REVIEW: Kuribroh - Stressed Out

by Jesse Smith

I would say in the last decade, genre blending and bending has become so acceptable and creative that it has sparked creativity in genres that felt stale. It’s 2024 and we’ve obviously heard the mix between emo and rap/hip hop and how big that was! But there is an up and coming underground solo artist from Kansas City who is blending those genres in a new and fun way! Kuribroh has been releasing music since 2020 with his first track “Larva”, which is 100% not the same sound we hear today. That track is straight metalcore (and it slaps) but in 2024, we’re taking a closer look at his newest track “Stressed Out”. 

It looks like 2024 is the year that he’s really adapting the “sad boi city kid” vibe and Stressed Out is his best work to date. My first impression of the song in the beginning was that this was going to be a solid vibey pop punk track, cool, i’ve heard those before. As the verse kicked in I quickly realized that this was different. While the music is straight pop punk, his cadence is also typical pop punk but his delivery and lyrics feel like they would be a rap song! Lyrics like “bitch you’ve got a man that’s a damn shame. Acting like a friend you was never gang”. While dissecting rap lyrics have always been funny and unusual, the flow that he has is crisp and theses, like it or not, are certified bars. 

Kuribroh really delivered something unique and it stands out in a big way. This experimentive sound is different from the emorap we’ve come to know, he leans more into the pop punk world but putting that little lyrical twist opened up doors for a completely knew subgenre. It kind of feels like the pop punk equivalent to Nu-Metal. Now that I think about it… did Kuribroh just create Nu-PopPunk? If so, I ain’t mad at it. I need more!