Math rock: music where protagonists die without warning

My son’s name comes from the surname of my favorite film director.

Because I love his stories that are completely unpredictable yet deliver satisfying surprises.

Same with music.

Most pop music follows an ABABCAB structure.
After the intro, I can usually guess what the chorus will sound like.
After the first verse, I pretty much know the whole song.
It’s like watching a Marvel movie. They occasionally kill off a few characters for tears, but the protagonist always wins in the end.

I want movies that are compelling even when they might be tragedies.
I want to see the main cast bleeding out!
Preferably deaths that come without warning but make perfect sense!

A few years ago, I stumbled upon math rock.
I realized this was the music I’d been searching for all along.

What is math rock?

Here’s Wikipedia’s explanation. Don’t worry if it doesn’t make sense. Just listen:

Math rock is a style of progressive and indie rock with roots in bands such as King Crimson and Rush as well as 20th-century minimal music composers such as Steve Reich. It is characterized by complex, atypical rhythmic structures (including irregular stopping and starting), counterpoint, odd time signatures, angular melodies, and extended, often dissonant, chords.

In simple terms: the whole band plays rock music with unconventional time signatures.
They deliberately throw you off balance, then suddenly pull you back into the groove.
You’ll think: “How do you even count this?"
"Why did it suddenly change again?”
But also: “This flows so well. This feels so good.”

You never know if it’s about to speed up, slow down, get louder, get quieter, turn happy, or turn sad.
Every song feels like a movie with an unpredictable plot.
Like post-rock, there’s buildup, accumulation, and eventual release.
But the journey is full of twists and turns.
That feeling of your mind being led along is incredible.

This demands extreme coordination from the musicians.
Everyone in the band has to be highly skilled.
The compositions are incredibly complex.
That’s why very few bands do math rock well.

My favorite math rock bands

Math rock can get heavy and metallic, but that’s too intense for me. I prefer the more melodic side.

I have two bands I listen to most:

Covet has been in my Spotify Top 5 for four or five years straight. Yvette Young plays guitar like she’s playing piano. Forrest drums with a smile like he’s high, and his drumming sounds amazing too. I seriously considered naming my daughter Covet. Too hard to pronounce though, so I gave up.

My favorite is their debut album effloresce. Only 6 tracks, but every single one is beautiful. I listened to this and their first EP Currents while eating magic truffles in Amsterdam. If I had to pick favorites: falkor, then gleam and sea dragon.

mouse on the keys features piano as the lead melody with insanely shifting drums. It really does sound like a mouse scurrying across the keys. The melodies start minimal but gradually layer up until they explode. Every track is epic.

My favorite is their debut album an anxious object. The drums are incredibly loud, but so satisfying. spectres de mouse, seiren, and the album closer ouroboros are standouts.

Other recommendations: toe, CHON, Hyakkei.
From Taiwan, the most famous is Elephant Gym. I love their track Finger.

I recommend listening to their whole albums, instead of letting algorithms decide what you listen to.

The cost of listening to math rock

Listening to math rock comes at a price: it’s too niche.

My family says it’s just noise.
Friends can’t really listen along.
Finding fellow fans is hard.

There are already few math rock bands, and they keep changing members.
They really have to be driven by passion.
Both bands I mentioned are no longer at their peak lineups.
So every band is worth treasuring.
Every album they’ve released deserves to be cherished.

But because it’s niche, finding kindred spirits is extra special.

I saw Covet live once in Seattle.
A crowd standing, nodding to the rhythm, nobody looking at their phones.

Maybe it’s because the music is too complex. Too busy doing math to scroll.

But because it demands full immersion, it’s all the more enjoyable.

Listen to my favorite math rock song with me

Here’s falkor on YouTube, along with my very amateur listening notes.

Note: the whole song is 7:37. Kind of like a 3-hour movie. Not for those used to 2-minute K-pop songs. Also watch drummer Forrest’s expressions. The comments saying they want whatever he’s having are hilarious.

• 0:00 Beautiful, slightly melancholic intro. The guitar sounds like piano. Drums and bass come in
• 0:45 Suddenly shifts to an upbeat melody
• 1:18 Suddenly becomes fragmented, repetitive (there’s that “suddenly” again)
• 2:00 Enters a bridge, then returns to the previous melody. Feels like foreshadowing big changes ahead
• 2:50 Next bridge section
• 3:05 Everything transforms. Feels like battle music. The same motif repeats, layers, builds. Bass melody and drums intensify
• 4:52 New bridge preparing for the next section
• 5:12 Building toward the climax. My favorite part. The drums are fast, like gathering energy
• 5:36 The whole song has been building to this moment. Full release into a beautiful “chorus.” Only about 20 seconds, but so satisfying!!!
• 6:00 Starts winding down
• 7:00 Returns to the melody from around 1 minute for a bookend. Full circle. End

That’s my amateur listening notes. Like watching a complex film. Satisfying.

It’s normal if you don’t like it. But if you do, email me.

People who love math rock are my kind of people.

P.S. To discover more math rock bands, check out /r/mathrock on Reddit.