Milwaukee-based four-piece Bug Moment has spent the last four years shaping a sound that exists in the gray area between emo, hyperpop, and post-hardcore. With their upcoming EP The Lazer Collection, they’re not just refining that sound but making a case for why genre barriers have no place in their world.
What started as a bedroom project between guitarist Gray Edward and vocalist Jasmine Rosenblatt has evolved into something far more expansive. The addition of bassist Elias Dorsey and drummer Aidan Hoppens gave the band the full-bodied presence needed to translate their vision into something bigger—aggressive, electronic-laced, and emotionally gutting. The Lazer Collection is the next stage of that evolution, both sonically and thematically.
This record is about breaking cycles, about self-examination through the kind of harsh realities that don’t make for clean resolutions. The track-by-track breakdown tells a story of personal destruction, reflection, and the painful process of reconstruction.
“Destroy All Monsters” pulls the focus immediately into that space—pain as transformation, suffering as an unwilling catalyst for growth. With guest vocals from Heccra, the track builds from gut-punching grief into something grander. “Sold my soul for all of this pain, shed my molt into something bigger and beautiful” isn’t just a line—it’s the thesis of this EP. The Lazer Collection isn’t wallowing. It’s documenting the burn and what comes after.
“Purple Guy” shifts the lens to survival—barely. A near-death experience colliding with the crumbling of a relationship, where suffering after the fact feels harder than disappearing altogether. There’s no comfort here, just the tension of a moment stretching too far, the sound of drywall hitting the windshield and knowing the impact didn’t stop there.
“Arbiter” and “Chaos Emerald” dig into desperation in different forms—being crushed under the weight of seeking validation, waiting for something that won’t happen, knowing it but still hoping anyway. “Step on me, at least I’ll be under you again” isn’t a metaphor—it’s an admission.
The final track, “Moonlight Greatsword,” is the moment of clarity, but not closure. Right person, wrong time. The kind of realization that’s more frustrating than it is freeing. Sung as a duet between Gray and Jasmine, it’s a conversation neither can change, shouted into a void of bad timing.
See the full track by track commentry by the band below.
Bug Moment are tapping into something more visual, more tactile. The cover art for The Lazer Collection recreates a low-poly aesthetic straight out of the GameCube and N64 era, an intentional throwback.
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It started as a sketch from Aidan, finalized by artist Luca, and now sits as the digital face of a record that refuses to be one thing.
The band’s roots in Milwaukee’s DIY scene still ground them. From an online pandemic project to a fully realized band, they’ve been shaped by the local community, watching it shift, grow, and tighten. They namecheck local acts like Killer Highlife, In Shining Armour, Shontrail, and Chapped Lips, emphasizing the city’s diverse but interconnected music scene.
They’re taking The Lazer Collection on the road in April with Garden Home, with more releases and tours planned throughout the year. Their focus is more frequent, smaller releases. More experimentation. Less waiting around for things to be perfect.
Full track by track rundown, by Bug Moment:
1) Destroy All Monsters (feat. Heccra) – This song is about going through adversity and pain, and coming out of it a better person. It’s a tale of being hurt by someone and it ends up hurting the both of you in the long run. Going through adversity causes a change in character and overall betterment. The lyrics at the climax of the song include “Sold my soul for all of this pain, shed my molt into something bigger and beautiful” which is talking about what I mentioned before. “In this life I need sunshine” is talking about being a bug that molts its skin to turn into a beautiful butterfly who needs sunshine and nature to thrive. The beginning of the song is more about pain and suffering, and the end is the birth of a new outlook and perspective.
2) Purple Guy – This song is about a near death experience in which the narrator talk about their story of almost dying in a car accident and drywall flying into their windshield. They exclaim “Sometimes I wish the drywall put me under, it would be an easier way out” because suffering after the car incident seems harder to do than to just disappear. The incident also happened right before an interpersonal relationship was severed. The relationship was toxic in ways “Did you need an alibi to convince me you weren’t with her?” “Is there anything I can do to make up the mistakes that I’ve made with you?” is talking about her regret being with this person, who would lie and cheat. The relationship and car incident are intertwined because both happened on the same day.
3) Arbiter – This song is about desperation, longing to be loved by someone, and self doubt. And being okay with being treated poorly in return for validation. “Step on me, at least I’ll be under you again”is about being powerless, and accepting that as it is.
4) Chaos Emerald – This song is about being stuck in a one-sided relationship. It has similar themes to the other songs of being desperate and waiting on a person. “Did you see me for what I was? Dancing in my room in all your clothes” showing someone their vulnerability, and self-worth feeling questioned by the unrequited love.
5) Moonlight Greatsword – This is about opportunities passing you by, and also meeting the right person at the wrong time. Being ready for something that the other person is not. “It was the right place at the wrong time” is the highlighted lyric from the song. It’s a duet with Gray and Jasmine both exclaiming their frustrations of being helpless.
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