Rogine Azizi, also known as Rogine Grace with the stage name Robobun, is an emerging artist based in Tehran, Iran. She is known for her genre-fluidity and versatility, and music that comes straight from the heart with pretty much no filter whatsoever. She pours what she feels into her songs, which makes them honest, true to the moment, and transient. She is also known for singing in both English and Japanese, incorporating her education in Japanese language and literature in her works.
Her debut EP, Red Dream, was a metalcore/electronicore double-single that was released back in 2023, with accompanying music videos for both tracks. Since then, she has been featured on multiple works that have been released. Notable tracks among these releases are "Pain" (with aglitchx), "Second Kin" (with One Missing Link), and "BMTH" (with DEXDBELL.) However, her own latest release, "Insane," is what we're diving into.
With "Insane", she is leaving metal behind and entering the realm of trap and emo rap, albeit with a rather dark twist. "Insane" is filled with haunting, dark, and dare I even say, "scary" melodies, both in the vocals and in the synths and pads used in the arrangement and production of the track. It sounds like hypnotism. The song also marks Robobun's first attempt at self-producing her music from scratch.
Lyrically, the song deals with themes of emotional numbness, existential indifference and coping with pain, hopelessness, and matters of mental health. Robobun comes from a past fraught with suffering, betrayal, mental health problems, and of course, having to deal with the suffocating atmosphere of Iran, being arrested and silenced in a country where singing is illegal for women and punishable by the law.
To be perfectly honest, I didn't actually like or enjoy the track at first, since I was very much used to hearing sweeter and brighter melodies within Robobun's music; but I found myself hearing this one in my head over and over again like a mantra during the day and so it slowly grew on me, essentially "creeping" up on me like how the song itself sounded: creepy, suspenseful and haunting.
Obviously, only reading about the song will not make you "feel" what Rogine feels and/or expresses with her music; so with that, I invite you to listen to "Insane" on your preferred platform, and perhaps check out the other tracks and releases to truly see, hear and experience the multifaceted world of Robobun.
"Insane"
Keep up with Robobun on Instagram!
