Song Review:: NouerA: .exe- .exe

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  • Release date: 2026 July 27
  • Album tracklist: .exe, LOCKED IN, W.T.F(un), LIFE IN COLOR
  • Album runtime: 10 minutes

 Congrats on the wins! While this song is of a suitable length, the runtime as a whole ain't it. That averages out to about two-and-a-half minutes, and that's with one almost three.

It's so nice to have a younger group that isn't on Underage Protocol because then I get to really listen to the songs. This instrumental feels like a boss fight in Nier: Automata, especially in the chorus, although there are spots where both the number and intensity of the instruments drops a bit, providing a great contrast. I love how the song doesn't start with the instrumental, because that means we get a tiny bit of a cappella. There's very little actual softness to the song though, but even in the quieter moments, there's almost a metallic quality to it. 

The line "I'm an .exe" makes me snort every time I hear it because my brain goes "Executable File" every single time. It doesn't do that when they're just saying ".exe", but it's just a funny little thing going on in my head. I wish there was more singing, but both the runtime and the style prohibit that. 

This is a cute little music video, but, wow, did they drag technology and images I haven't seen since I was a kid out from the dustiest part of the storage closet in the basement. I love it. There's so much iconic early home tech here. But wow.

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