South Carolina multi-disciplinary producer Xeno Ray JNB has shifted away from the frantic, digitally glitched industrial textures of his debut album, ‘Mono Modern’. On his seven-track EP, ‘and in my mind, i’m everyone CLOUD’, released a few days ago on October 16, 2026, the independent Black American artist trades outward algorithmic anxiety for a deeply insular, atmospheric landscape. It is a striking aesthetic pivot that strips away the eccentric avant-garde persona to reveal the vulnerable songwriter beneath.
Borrowing its title from the bridge of The Smashing Pumpkins’ ‘Porcelina of the Vast Oceans’, the project draws inspiration from classic alternative rock while drifting through cloud rap, lo-fi, and neo-psychedelia. Entirely written, produced, arranged, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Xeno Ray JNB, the record also represents a technical leap. Marking his initial move into a laptop DAW environment, the production process forced the artist to navigate an unforgiving digital curve. Raw, live guitars—most prominent on lead single ‘Contrast Our Sky’, are submerged and heavily processed until they dissolve into ethereal, pad-like soundscapes.
Tracks such as ‘(please stop) noise machine’ and ‘Limerence (aka the feeling where you lose yourself)’ establish a cinematic mood anchored by haunted vocal harmonies. Taking lyrical cues from the unvarnished, direct delivery of Cities Aviv, the EP explores themes of isolation, grief, faith, and masculinity. On ‘Oh Virginia! Bless U Virginia!’, featuring Trinitysarts, the record balances dense, heavy frameworks with delicate ambient space, reflecting a desire to understand human connection beyond individual boundaries.
While the sprawling, submerged textures might occasionally make the vocal presence feel slightly distant, this haze ultimately reinforces the record’s surreal, dreamy nature. Rather than dissecting the universe to find identity, Xeno Ray JNB looks inward, resulting in an exceptionally cohesive and emotionally resonant release.
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