We love sharing the work of Rogue FX, and have already featured a slew of his singles. We have also been anticipating the release of his EP, The Fifth Step, which is a highly developed, high concept alternate reality. As we stream the record, we wanted to share our thoughts and the backstory of the philosophical and narrative nature of the EP.
The Fifth Step EP is a story of the mercenary and ex con, Max Rogue and his journey with the corrupt Mind Corporation which ultimately leads to the redemption of Max Rogue.
The intro track, Think About the Future invites us into the universe that visionary creator Andrew Wood has been developing. Next up is the consciousness expanding, The Fifth Step – a synth pop adventure and the title track of the track of the record, which we previously featured for its immersive and dimensional nature.
The narrative of the record really kicks off with track number three, Welcome to Mind Corps, narrated by Mayah Camara, where we are enticed to take four pills, strap ourselves in and join Rogue FX on this futuristic, dystopian adventure.
This leads us to Psychology, which showcases Andrew’s fierce and 80s inspired vocal delivery, which is coupled with an astral tapestry of sound that we cannot get enough of!
Mind Melt Alert further establishes the narrative of the the record, which is “a sci-fi based concept, musically influenced by synth pop, electro and retro wave to create an energetic, alternative synth dance set.”
We cannot get enough of the mini audio movie inserts between the tracks which further drive the narrative of the story. We were lucky enough to have Andrew Wood share the back story of The Fifth Step with us, which goes as follows:
It is 2033…
Virus Outbreaks and pandemics are the
new normal…
The world is in lockdown and
international travel is banned…
With a whole social market to exploit,
Mind Trip organisations are
commonplace, an industry entirely
unregulated that promises a mind trip that will feel real in the human memory …
Mind melts are frequent, lobotomised
patients moved to “Recovery Resorts”.
Rogue FX confirms that one such government backed company, promoting ‘safer mind travel’ is Mind Corps, who promise the mind trip of a lifetime, tagline:
Think about the future, take The Fifth Step…
Chaos Theory is a track that features a super high octane approach with glistening synths and evocative nuance with an out of this world instrumental segment. We really appreciate the cadence that Andrew shares on this track.
We learn that Max is not responding and simply “drifting” in Crisis in Med Bay 4, which segues into a fantastic final full track, titled Drifting which is lyrically minimal but truly embodies the concept of the message.
Finally, we experience Reborn which confirms the awakening of Max! The record is certainly a cohesive and inspiring adventure, and we have added Drifting to our New Music Spotlight playlist, whilst we continue to stream the record on repeat!