Album Review: Doomsday Collective

VÏKAE stepped onto the scene just before COVID and has been reinvented in her new 14-track album Doomsday Collective – a showcase of her experience between worlds. The record speaks to her dedication to staying productive, creative, and current, all while maintaining her own distinct style, perspective, culture, and take on the world. VÏKAE’s work has never been everyday radio pop; it’s always carried its own edge and flair – entirely her own – paired with a world of mental health narratives, identity struggles, heartbreak, and dark themes and concepts we don’t always understand straight off the bat. With a deeper listen, though, you begin to see exactly what she’s about. Mixed, mastered, and produced by a strong team, this album feels like an anthology that’s been itching to come out into the world and be heard – and now it’s here!

Swipe Right is an addictive number that reckons with the hostile emotions that lead us to indulging online, searching for connection and comfort. One might just “swipe right”… but not in a hype way – in an eat-your-soul kind of way. At moments, her voice turns almost demonic, the full music video is monochrome, and she leans heavily into haunting black imagery. That’s what I love about her – it’s not cringe, it’s self-aware. The track then shifts into Ukrainian lyrics, transforming into an underground, apocalyptic rave that closes the song in an incredibly creative way. Pandora’s Box is a testament to the unkind world we live in – a system built to keep us sick. It comments on the business behind the medical world, capturing the feeling of being stuck in a loop: needing help while remaining dependent. It’s another well-produced, well-mastered track with a vengeance to be heard. Dark, guttural themes run throughout, balanced by plenty of oomph, bass, and kick.

Death Eater is a badass song about “meeting some bad people and doing some bad things.” It takes a fun pop approach to black-magic energy, positioning VÏKAE as a queen – an enigma and a force to be reckoned with. ТЫ МОЙ ОКЕАН is an ethereal track with strong fantasy elements. Droplets and water sounds open the song, creating natural wave effects that “wash over the skin,” just as the lyrics suggest. Sung in Russian, it’s more danceable and upbeat than many of the tracks so far. The imagery here is beautiful, and it’s an undeniably catchy tune.

Bad Lovers is another standout production. The leading melody slightly reminds me of Stars Go Blue by Ryan Adams. It features a fun hook and some really crafty vocal layering. The song explores being used in the past while still diving headfirst into something new – being with someone else while processing an old love. Flick A Switch opens with synthy layers and playful moments of vocal distortion. It’s a song about someone with a short temper – literally flicking a switch and changing personalities. Up and down, unfixable, trapped in mood swings. The theme resonates; we all know someone who fits this personality type.

Rust is a slowed-down number built around string elements and epic percussion. It explores being bound to the system, watching freedom rot away into a numbers game. The metaphors of bound hands and systemic control stand out, along with commentary on fame and how it’s ultimately all the same. Stuck Inside is a beautifully mastered track and one of the album’s most unique moments – I’m not sure I’ve heard anything quite like it before. It works as a metaphor for being imprisoned by fame and constant surveillance. The voice cameos, however, are a little strange if I’m being honest; they catch you off guard in an unsettling way. Eat The Rich is such a good song, in my opinion. “Falling from freedom, we’ve lost all our graces” is a standout lyric, along with the rest of the song’s words, which are really clever and well thought out – something you perhaps couldn’t say about every pop song. You can hear an Eastern European influence – maybe in the references to dictatorship, propaganda, or radiation, I’m not sure – but I’m hearing some pretty strong identity themes here, and I’m in love with the imagery.

Hyde & Seek is obviously a play on words. It’s got dark themes throughout and speaks to the gameplay between lovers – playing the game of strangers who are convoluted and distant. If these tracks had a genre attached, I’d definitely go with dark pop, in the sense that it has some perfectly spooky, horror-like moments that she’s clearly thought through. Operator is a cool sync or soundtrack anthem. It builds beautifully and has really cinematic elements – very danceable – and resonates in terms of being at war with one’s self-image. Frequency (Deluxe) is a cool little avant-garde, underground club anthem – really catchy and bassy, with gorgeous vocals. It begs the listener to get lost and blindly listen in motion.

Angry Girl (DDay Edition) is a fascinating track to revisit. I remember reviewing the original years ago, so this one hits hard. I love this song. Trapped in a loop of her own venom, the character of the angry girl tells the story of someone stuck in toxic social patterns, with uncontrollable emotions – chasing external recognition and validation through money and power. It’s a really fun remix of the original track, which was a popular hit. БІЖІТЬ, ВИХОДЬТЕ (you have a fetish for the apocalypse) is the final track on the album – another horror-like moment with absolutely insane mixing, mastering, and production. What an absolute gem! There’s so much gusto, creativity, and imagination packed into one track. It feels like a call to all sickly, low-brow ghouls and ghosts to come party in the underworld – with VÏKAE, of course. Ending the album on this track is a genius move.

All in all, this is a 14-track masterpiece of imagination and artistic expression. Big ups to this artist’s ingenuity and craft in imagery, storytelling, and expression. I highly doubt there has been another album released in Aotearoa that comes even close – and how lucky are we to have her!? I’d liken this to nothing else I’ve heard, and I’d 100% listen to it on my own, in my own time.