Art and the internet are society’s last true equalizers, a refuge for the disadvantaged and dispossessed to take on an alias or avatar, rise above their circumstances and become whoever they want. Indeed, for most of his life, Orlando native Joseph (Joey) Cash thrived in the grids and waveforms of Logic and SoundCloud when more traditional structures failed him - a high school dropout at 16, Joey’s future was clouded by substances and self-doubt. By the beginning of 2021, Joey realized that he could not half-step his way towards transcendence.

Expanding beyond his early incarnation as a hyperpop artist, Joey took on the name rouri404 and finally became himself. Following 2022’s striking GORE EP, rouri404 leans even harder into guitar-driven rock and emo, a showcase for his emerging talents as a lyricist, arranger and executive producer.

He’s coherent and concise, inspired by the duality that comes with creating art in online spaces - how does one reconcile the unlimited capacity for self-expression with the unlimited capacity for self-invention? rouri404 sees artists like the prolific Bones and the perfectionist Daft Punk as his two guardian angels; “I’ve found myself struggling between being mysterious with perfect visuals and perfect aesthetics and the other side of, I want to get as much out as fast as possible.” Yet, as rouri404’s skills and stature escalate, the creative process remains true to his origins as a lost soul with a lifeline to his audience, representing for people like himself - the misunderstood teens, the budding lyricists stuck behind the cash register of a dead-end job, the overwhelmed music nerds searching for something permanent in a time where everything feels disposable.