One year after first appearing on IDIOTEQ with the single Forget My Face, OMOIYARI is back with Bleed, a new standalone track out July 26 via DIY label A Cozy Death.
The project, led by El Tyler, marks their return after a period of silence caused by health issues that made harsh vocals physically impossible. With Bleed, Tyler reclaims that voiceโliterally and thematicallyโchannelling frustration, abandonment, and anger into a two-and-a-half minute blast of 90s/00s-inflected metalcore.
โThis is pure rage-filled spite,โ Tyler explains. โI wanted it to feel ferocious and cutting, to express everything Iโve felt over the past year or so in terms of frustration with the health issues, abandonment etc.โ
The track had its origins years ago while Tyler was in another band, but it never reached the studio. โI wrote this in skeletal form when I was in another band, but it never hit the studio. I always liked what I did with it but wanted to push it into a more 90s/00s nu metal type style.โ
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Now fully re-recorded, Bleed became a home-grown statement of defiance. โI wrote, recorded, and produced this entirely in my bedroom over a few sittings. I wanted this to represent a return of sorts. I really struggled with feeling like Iโd lost my platform and voice through not being able to do harsh vocals anymore and so I wanted my return track to be really big and in your face, so I pushed everything to its absolute limit.โ
The shift in vocal tone reflects Tylerโs adaptation to the physical toll of performing. โI had to take a forced hiatus from music due to some health issues preventing me from doing harsh vocals. I’ve had to completely relearn how to scream safely and in a way that doesnโt flare up the issues I was having, which is why my vocals sound so different on this than to my last single (Forget My Face)โand hence the line in the hook โI cut my tongue outโ, reflecting that feeling of losing my voice and my platform.โ
Bleed is also a continuation of the broader themes Tyler began exploring last year. In Forget My Face, they tackled the cult of online validation, algorithmic anxiety, and digital burnout. The songโs art featured a corrupted 15th-century painting overrun by cyber sigils, symbolizing the infiltration of AI and digital culture into human creativity.
Speaking last year to IDIOTEQ, Tyler described the project as a form of personal liberation. โOMOIYARI began as just a freely creative outlet that felt wholly personal and authentic to me. It started with a 3-minute beatdown, caveman-riff hardcore demo I wrote and recorded in a single day just with the intent of throwing it out into the ether.โ
The project diverges sonically and conceptually from Tylerโs previous bandsโAMORIST, TAG DAY, and HOUNDING. While the rough edges remain, OMOIYARI feels more deliberate. โOMOIYARI essentially feels like the culmination of everything Iโve done before, gritty, but conceptually rounded.โ
The name itselfโOMOIYARIโdraws from Japanese culture and values. โI grew up in a house with Japanese lodgers so Japanese culture has always been somewhat of an intrinsically linked thing to me,โ Tyler explained. โIt feels reflective of the music and art I make. A lot of people wonโt scratch beyond the surface of me or of โoh itโs just screamingโ and thatโs cool to me. Itโs like its own private club.โ
Over the past year, Tyler has pulled back from live performances and the exhausting churn of content creation. โI had subconsciously programmed myself to feel like if I didnโt write and record 2 or 3 songs a week; I was slacking. If I wasnโt booking shows, or if less people were turning up to my shows; I was failing.โ
They link the burnout to a deeper disconnect between onstage identity and personal truth. โThe fact that my identity had become so inextricably linked to being the dude that screams and shouts on stage and moshes and climbs tables and hangs off rafters, when in my day to day life, I couldnโt be further from thatโฆ it just felt wrong to me.โ
That pressure led to a temporary step backโbut not away. In that quieter space, new material began to form, including what’s now Bleed and songs that will contribute to a future longform release.
โI have a few tracks recorded that Iโm really happy with that just need vocals and Iโm continuously working on new stuff for it so Iโm hoping before long Iโll have more stuff to share! Iโm still working around a concept of genre bending 90s/00s core stuff that really pushes the limit of what I know and what I can write.โ
That longer release will expand on OMOIYARIโs conceptual worldโa breakdown and reassembly of identity and society in a cyberpunk setting. โThe idea is based around the breakdown of society and the rebuilding of a new, I guess cyberpunk world. I played a lot of Cyberpunk 2077 last year and the soundtrack and themes were just really interesting to me.โ
At the same time, Tyler continues to build their own infrastructure through the DIY label A Cozy Death. Rather than traditional signings or deals, the label is intended to operate with minimal pressure and a community-first approach. โACD is going to be DIY for DIY, itโs going to be mates for mates. Iโm planning on just using it to work with a bunch of cool bands and help them have a helping hand in releasing music and merch and stuff.โ
With no fixed deadlines or expectations, OMOIYARI now stands as a space for exploration. โI think the beauty of this project is always going to be in not knowing where Iโm heading next and being content with that. Iโll never be trying to make a viral moment, itโll always just be art for artโs sake.โ
