I Hope Hell Isn’t Real, the debut EP from Los Angeles based musician, Roe Kapara is a cinematic, introspective, emotional release that serves as the perfect introduction for those just getting to know him. Inspired by surrealist plots of movies like Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, the seven-track EP centers around a fictional character who who lives in a dystopian world full of nothing but apathy and eventually gains a new outlook on life after death. Thematically, the EP fearlessly touches on life, death, the choices that you make and how they affect others as well as trying to be a better person.
Kicking off the album is the blunt and hard-hitting opener, “This Time Last Week”. Carried by acoustic guitar, simplistic guitar and powerful vocals, the track serves as the perfect introduction to the themes that follow. Picking things up is the gloomy and pessimistic “Everyone’s Dying (Grandma’s Drunk Again)”, and complimentary “Everything’s Fine (Nuke Song)”, and apathetic anthem that counters the moody lyrics with bright, grungy sounds.
Marking the turning point in the album is the spoken word interlude, which finds Roe Kapara reflecting on life, the choices that one makes and the idea of going to heaven or hell. From there, the moody, apathetic tones of the first half of the album give way to more emotional, vulnerable songs that really find Kapara cracking his chest open and wearing his heart on his sleeve. The title track is a grungy, 90’s-inspired pop-rock anthem that insists, “We’re all so fucked up, but that’s okay with me.” Following “I Hope Hell Isn’t Real” is the aggressive “Preacher” and the massive, introspective closer, “What Is My Life Worth”, which brings things full circle.
Within just seven songs, Roe Kapara accomplishes more than most artists are capable of with a full-length album. With a clear beginning, middle and end, I Hope Hell Isn’t Real plays like a movie and is a powerful, emotional and sonically diverse release that marks the beginning of a spectacular career for Roe Kapara.