Arankai “The Shape of Blue” Album Review by Antoine Karam

Oct 28, 2026

Few acts have climbed as quickly as Arankai, the project of Oscar Porter, and The Shape of Blue is the record that tests whether the momentum is real. It is the second chapter of a planned three-album arc that began with A Portrait of Red in 2025, and the move it makes is a bold one. Where the first record looked inward, this one looks outward, writing about situations lived by other people, some of which Porter did not experience himself. Words such as “rebellion, pride, sacrifice” describe the territory, and the sound follows it, mixing alternative metal, metalcore, rap and bright melody into a single restless stream.

The opening stretch sets the tone. “Helter Skelter”, with buffalo_farm, swings between heavy and quiet passages and announces that genre borders are optional, and “I Hope It Hurts” turns hardcore riffs, screams and a singalong chorus into a farewell to people who took advantage of him. “Disobey” is the sharpest of the early songs, with tension between a tight verse and a heavy chorus, and a breakdown that lands exactly where it should. “Sick & Sweet” flips from rap to melodic metalcore and back, and one early reviewer heard a faint echo of the textured swagger of Korn‘s “Freak on a Leash” in it.

The middle of the record is where the wider lens pays off. “Playing God” reaches for a radio-friendly chorus without feeling cheap, “Let Down” slows the pace and lets the melody carry the weight, and “Choke” builds drama before an anthemic hook. The water-soaked atmosphere that some critics describe runs through the production, giving heavy moments a melancholic sheen. It is also where the album’s ambition shows its seams, since “TEMPER” follows a familiar melodic-metal formula and its chorus does not match the rest of the set.

The closing run asks for some patience. “Convince Me” is an overwhelming single that benefits from the context of the whole record, “Have Faith” puts the lyrics at the center of a melodic song, and the title track ends the album with an effects-driven, experimental closer that reads as the thesis for the final chapter. The finale is less consistent than the first half, and not every experiment survives, but the willingness to try matters more than a perfect score. There are no credits for production or mixing in the sources I reviewed, so the polish here is judged by ear and not by name.

The Shape of Blue is an ambitious step forward rather than a leap into greatness. It is wider, more varied and more confident than A Portrait of Red, and it handles its genre-hopping with fewer stumbles than it could have. The lyrics trade private confession for shared experience, which is a harder thing to do, and the best songs make it feel natural. A few weaker moments and an uneven ending keep it from the top shelf, but there is plenty here to recommend, and it makes the third chapter a record to watch for.

My favorite tracks are “Disobey”, “I Hope It Hurts” and “Playing God”. The first has the best use of tension, the second is the quickest way into the album, and the third proves the band can write a hook without losing its edge. Worth noting too: buffalo_farm appears only on the opener, so do not expect a wave of guests, since the focus stays on Arankai.

Get your copy here: https://arankai.bandcamp.com/album/the-shape-of-blue

Rating: 7.5/10