Hello Goochems.
It’s a greeting that has become a familiar, almost intimate, signal across the digital underground. A beat tag that precedes a journey, a promise of the genre-fluid and emotionally raw production to come. With the release of his debut EP, ‘unveiling,’ Goochems doesn’t just make good on that promise; he cements it into a stunning, six-track manifesto that feels less like an introduction and more like a full, breathtaking reveal.
The project opens on what the artist himself has cited as his favorite creation: “take my soul.” The track is a masterclass in tonal whiplash, beginning as a trance-inducing, heavy-hearted dirge before executing a sudden, breathtaking pivot into a frenetic Jersey club rhythm. It’s a jarring, brilliant choice that mirrors the disorienting nature of the emotions he’s channeling—one moment you’re submerged in deep reflection, the next, you’re physically compelled to move, to dance through the pain. It’s this refusal to be pinned down that defines the entire EP.
This emotional whiplash continues on the stunning second track, “wait for uuu.” It opens with the hollowed-out confession, “I’ll never see you again.” Then, a pause. The distinct sound of Goochems clearing his throat. The line repeats, but the texture is different—raw, strained, as if the initial attempt was a thought and the second is the painful, vocalized reality. This isn’t just production; it’s theater. It’s the audio equivalent of a filmmaker zooming in on an actor’s face to capture the exact moment a realization cracks through. The lyric that follows—“I wish you well even if I hate you, too”—is an uncomfortable, profoundly truthful duality that Goochems doesn’t shy away from. He sits in the contradiction, and for its bravery and its flawless execution, “wait for uuu” is our early favorite here at The New Underground.
Of course, the EP also features the track that first broke him out of the algorithm: “shoegaze909.” A more modern, rhythm-driven take on the classic shoegaze ethos, the track layers ethereal, washed-out vocals over a relentless, crisp 909 break. It’s a song that has rightly garnered thousands of streams and accolades from fellow artists, proving that innovation often lives in the fusion of seemingly opposed worlds.
In a landscape crowded with hobbyists posing as auteurs, Goochems’ 2025 debut proves he is the real thing. But to focus on the posers is to miss the point entirely. As ‘unveiling’ so powerfully demonstrates, Goochems’ main currency isn’t technical prowess alone—though he has it in spades—it’s a radical transparency and honesty. He is an artist concerned with the ugly, complicated, and beautiful truth of feeling, translating it into sound with a clarity that is nothing short of captivating. He isn’t measuring himself against anyone else. He’s too busy unveiling something real.
