Voka has been steadily working in the shadows for four years now. The Florida based artist started off producing ethereal, ambient beats, learning his craft from the inside-out, and gained loyal and adoring following. A year ago he began experimenting with vocals on his tracks, it’s safe to say with his latest single, “just know”, Voka has found his voice. “just know” captures a lost moment, a falling self, an aching abyss. The track opens with an sample of a indistinct conversation as a breathy acoustic riff spills in. Voka’s productions skills shine in “just know” the beats are smooth, polished, and don’t overwhelm the stripped sincerity of his vocals.
Voka relies a simple warning from the depths of isolation and self-loathing:
“Just know I am bad for my own health/ Just know that I don’t need anyone/ Just know I’ll be the cause of my own death/ Just know I’m overthinking life again and again.All the stress will descend/But how far can it go/Before it’s up and explodes/And then it builds up again.”
It’s easy for someone who follows the underground scene to become numb or desensitized to the narratives of mental suffering, of utter self-hatred or a call towards a death drive. When we’re at the bottom, it seems nearly impossible to look up. That’s so much of what this is all about: finding voices that express the same weight in your chest, the same lack of feeling, of feeling too much.
Voka commented that “just know” is a reaching out, “I wanted to make this so people could hear and feel my pain and know they are not alone…this one specifically I was calling out to people who feel hopeless, lost, unhappy with where they are, and are trying to overcome it.” “just know” will cut you all over again and leave you raw, but that just adds to the stellar artistry of the track. Catch up on all that voka’s been up and dive into his single below.