Ogfbs – i dont ever feel ok – Musician Spotlight

I’m not sure about you, but I know that sometimes my newest musical obsession can come from the strangest of places. Sometimes I find a new band that I like from a car commercial, sometimes a short meme video includes a track that I want to hear more of, or sometimes I simply need to know who wrote an ad jingle and fall into their work (the classic Klondike jingle, for example, was written by Lynn Ahrens – the lyricist of the Dr. Seuss-inspired musical Seussical, which may or may not constantly be on my current playlists).

Many vinyl aficionados are also no stranger to buying an unknown album at the record store simply because it has outstanding cover art, and later finding out that they really dig the album itself. But never before have I been targeted by a social media music ad so incredibly specific that I simply had to check out the band despite having never even heard of them before.

Well, not until a few weeks ago, at least, when I was scrolling through Facebook and was greeted by this image:

I was taken aback when I first saw this image on my phone screen. I probably laughed out loud when I first saw this artwork, in fact. The sad look on the poorly-animated animal’s face, combined with the depressing statement that this digital…mammal?…never feels ok, and the nonsensical label of “ogfbs” beside the creature’s feet created what was to my millennial mind a simply hilarious meme. Of course I had to see what the heck this little thing was advertising.

As it turns out, ogfbs (which stands for “original fuckboy shit, according to the artist’s social media) is an electronic hyperpop musician, and i dont ever feel ok is the artist’s debut album. Suddenly, everything clicked in my head – the memetic nature of the album artwork, coupled with the depressing statement of the album’s title, are hallmarks of the hyperpop genre. Being interested in this style of music – after all, I am a fan of artists such as SOPHIE, ABSRDT, and Dorian Electra – I decided I might as well check out the musician that made me stop mid-scroll.

To my (pleasant) surprise, I really enjoyed i dont ever feel ok. I almost feel bad admitting it, but I wasn’t expecting much from the album; sure, I didn’t know anything about ogfbs going into my listening, but I have certainly heard my fair share of bad electronic music.

Techno, and especially its hyperpop cousin, are genres of music that are easily replicated but seldom done well. This album perfectly blends together hyperpop sensitivities with the musings of the e-boy and e-girl movement, however, creating an album that can serve as both easy listening or contemplative fodder, depending on the listener’s mood.

Despite the overall sugary sweet sound of the album, i dont ever feel ok certainly lives up to its namesake. Lyrically, the album tackles topics ranging from general loneliness and the fear of abandonment to more specific and targeted feelings like suicidality and the fear of outliving all your closest friends and family. Even the cheerfully-titled “donut” tackles more downbeat topics, with lyrics such as “I hold my breath, try to pick a focus and I count to ten / then I come back in, no one even noticed I was gone again” discussing the singer’s tendency to fight off panic attacks while in public despite those around them not realizing.

The artist’s more morbid lyrics are reserved for songs such as “everyone i love dies,” however, which includes the lines “She just wanna know what’s in my head / I wish I had left her ass on read again / Think that I’ll feel better when I’m dead” and “She can see I’m suicidal but I say I’m doing fine.”

i dont ever feel ok was released on the queer-owned and -operated independent label, Play Nice. Ran by queer rave and hyperpop artist Ducky, the label also represents the musicians 2TONEDISCO and Need Less. Play Nice seems to cater exclusively to electronic artists at this point, but the label seems to still be growing: they currently only represent four artists, but their website was recently updated (literally in the midst of my writing this article). I am sure we will see more come out of Play Nice, and ogfbs in particular, in the near future: the artist’s next single, “carrots,” is due to be released on August 27th, 2021.

Despite my enjoyment of ogfbs’s debut album, i dont ever feel ok, I still find myself asking: why me? Why did the Facebook algorithm gods decide to bless me with an ad for a band with less than 300 monthly listeners on Spotify and only 11 likes on Facebook (one of which, admittedly, is mine)? What about my profile says “yes, I would like to listen to upbeat electronic music featuring poorly rendered animal avatars and depressing lyrics?” I’m not really sure, but the scariest part is: the algorithm was completely correct. Ogfbs is likely going to become the newest addition to my regular rotation, and I’m not mad about it; I’m just upset that I had to be read by Facebook to find them.

Austin’s arbitrary rating: 6 out 9 stars. For the memes.

Standout track: “everyone i love dies,” whose beat is the most distinct of the album while the lyrics deal with abandonment, drug use, death, and suicide.

ogfbs is an electronic hyperpop artist presumably hailing from San Francisco, CA, according to the tagged locations on their Instagram. Their debut album, i dont ever feel ok, was released on Play Nice on June 18th, 2021. You can find ogfbs on Spotify, Soundcloud, Instagram, and Twitter.

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