Vanisher Horizon Scraper

Sometimes I wonder how far someone would go for their love.

How many miles would they walk? How worn out would the bottoms of their shoes be by the time they’ve reached their destination, and through what terrains did they have to navigate along the way?

It feels like whatever topic Quadeca decides to cover, he will always approach his music with this central theme in mind.

His previous records, I Didn’t Mean to Haunt You (2022) and From Me To You (2021), marked a change in direction for his approach.

From Mountain Climbing to traversing the earth as a Ghost, Quadeca’s Vanisher Horizon Scraper has taken on the story of a sailor's journey across the sea, and his descent into madness as their determination butts heads with their delusions.

Interestingly enough, this feels like Quad’s most divisive record to date. His die-hard fans were giving the record a perfect 10 the night that the record dropped, yet there were many detractors responding to the praise with criticism that I found valid, but many that felt unfounded.

It’s for this reason that it took me so long to land on my personal grade for VHS.

I’ve listened to this record from front to back at least 50 times at this point, and I’ve gone back and forth on my thoughts, but to make a long story short, I like it.

I like it a lot.

But to make the story long, I think VHS scratches an itch that no recent record has been able to reach.

From the moment the first track begins, the tone is immediately set. “NO QUESTIONS ASKED” works as a solid introduction to our main character and their journey out to sea.

Upon first listen, I felt that this opener went on for far too long, but upon re-listens, in the greater context of the album, the track has really grown on me.

There’s something contagious about the opening instrumentation underneath Quad’s vocal delivery.

This record is textured to an insane degree. I feel like I’m hearing so many different sounds on each listen. From the shakers in my left ear and the sounds of what I assume to be the sail’s fabric in my right, Quadeca sets out to demonstrate his skills as a producer. It’s night and day from his previous mixtape, Scrapyard (2024), which I would argue has insane levels of production quality in itself.

Tracks like “THUNDRRR,” “CASPER,” and “THE GREAT BAKUNAWA” are INSANE. The production and mixing are so solid. I’ve listened in my car, on speakers, and on headphones, and I feel like I’m noticing something different on each listen. There are so many little sounds and instruments that creep their way through the track, and I can only imagine how crazy his project files look.

It would be a crime not to talk about the insane closer, “CASPER,” that I can comfortably say is the BEST CLOSER THAT I HAVE EVER HEARD ON AN ALBUM. I’m firm on that stance. It’s insane what he was able to accomplish, and the feature from Maruja really makes the track so memorable. I had to relisten to it the first time I heard it.

That being said, although the production is amazing, I have an issue with the record. Tracks like “NATURAL CAUSES” and “I DREAM ABOUT SINKING,” while really technically amazing from a production standpoint, slow the pacing of the album down in a way that doesn’t feel productive to the story Quad is looking to tell. In a vacuum, each song on the record is a master class in production, and I could comfortably say that each song is an 8/10 at LEAST, but in the context of the entire piece, the album doesn’t flow as cohesively as I would have expected.

For example, “THE GREAT BAKUNAWA” is amazing in isolation, but feels like an abrupt song choice in the context of the song before and after it. The production of the track is intoxicating. The dreary opening that leads into the groovy instrumental with Danny Brown’s delivery on top creates this amazing image of the sea monster that weirdly reminds me of an animated film, allowing its main antagonist to have their own musical number. This would be Danny’s second feature for Quadeca, appearing on “House Settling” from I Didn’t Mean to Haunt You. On that track, Danny took on the perspective of carbon monoxide, and his lines were so interesting and abstract.

This time around, Danny, yet again, plays a character. His role as “THE GREAT BAKUNAWA” is a lot more straightforward than his last, and through the verse is fun. I think the lyrics are very surface-level, which I think is fine, but I wish there had been more lines that were a little less on the nose.

Gеttin' full from the sky while I'm lickin' my lips (Yeah, yеah)

Conquer my hunger, I'm a monster when I rise above ships (Yeah)

The lines are not bad by any means, I just wish there was a deeper dive into the subject matter.

That being said, the track demonstrates Quadeca’s progression as a lyricist. He really shines in this song. The moment he hopped on the track, I was locked in.

I can feel the shakin' when it's deep underneath

Tell me, when's the last time we've seen one of these? (Uh-uh)

Moon-man fishin' when he leaps out the sea (Yeah)

Closer to the edge, gettin' steep in my reach

These lines flowed so well on this track, and I think this is one of his best rap performances to date.

His singing performances are also top-notch on this record. Tracks like “MONDAY”, “FORGONE”, and “DANCING WITHOUT MOVING” really stood out to me from how different they all felt sonically, yet they all demonstrated how great a vocalist Quad has become.

I think this record deserves a listen at least once.

Some detractors have referred to this album as pretentious and annoyingly artistic, and I take issue with those critiques. Though this may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I think we should encourage records like this. I want to see artists exploring different concepts and making art pieces that try something weird or different.

I hope we see future projects from Quadeca trying something just as interesting as VHS, and with time, I can see him creating a PERFECT record.

For personal reasons, I think my favorite Quad record is still I Didn’t Mean to Haunt You, but Vanisher, Horizon Scraper, is his BEST record to date.

MY FAVORITE SONGS: DANCING WITHOUT MOVING, GODSTAINED, NO QUESTIONS ASKED, THUNDRRR, AT A TIME LIKE THIS, THAT’S WHY,

LEAST FAVORITE (Still Amazing tbh): NATURAL CAUSES

RATING: A-

A -