filed under recs: music

Sad, Drunk, Needy by WHSPRS

heartfelt, heated, and horny - WHSPRS belts out in full passion with his second album saturated in thick motifs about what it means to be a furry online

review by cole canine

there is a feeling only furries can describe well that is not often recorded: a feeling of loving someone miles, maybe even oceans away, one who you have revealed all too, explored each other's virtual avatars in intimate detail, fantasized about getting married at a furry convention, and doing all of that without even knowing the name their mother gave them.

WHSPRS explores the life of a furry onine making these kind of connections. Known for his work as a musician in virtual reality, this album mixes niche furry jargon with 00s pop punk sounds. 'WHORE', a song where WHSPRS screams out his jealousy for a person in an ex's updated profile pic, sounds like a track i would have found on a star-covered background MySpace page with bloody Hello Kitty GIFs. 'Fox Boy' is the album's peak in furry angst, where WHSPRS is pleading with a distant situationship, reminding the titular fox boy that he is only 'a Telegram message away', crying out how he doesn't even know his name, and doing all this with a guitar riff version of the violins from Vanessa Carlton's 'A Thousand Miles'.

this album made me laugh, made me scream, and still makes me cry. 'Night in the Woods' is a harrowing track, both referencing the hit furry video game and the general lack of opportunity for 20-somethings in the world of failing capitalism everything WHSPRS has made is fantastic and 'just like me' worthy. after you check out the album, i would definitely give a listen to the poppy love song 'Falling for Americans' and his newest single, 'Portals', which is a direct nod to VR Chat's travel mechanics.

basic info about this work

Link to the album on Bandcamp
released 2024 feb 15
genre: pop punk