Void Comp Finds his Cinematic Sound Through Experimentation on ‘Passerby’
Photo credit: Eric Kozakiewicz
With the release of his debut album Passerby, Edmonton-based artist Void Comp is stepping into his most exciting project yet. Blending indie, electronic, and synth-driven sounds, the nine-track record has been years in the making, with some songs dating back as far as 2019. The album showcases the sounds he's been building towards while reflecting the influences and experiences that shaped him as an artist.
The rollout for Passerby has already introduced listeners to three singles: "Skin Deep," "Trust," and "Run In Place." Together, they offer a look into the sound Void Comp set out to create. His first single, "Skin Deep," ended up being the last song completed for the album. With most of the record already finished, he felt like something was missing.
"I had like eight done, and I was kind of thinking, I don't know, I need something a little more poppy-ish," he says. "The other ones are kind of more indie vibes. They're a little more guitar-based."
Rather than building slowly, the track throws listeners straight into the music.
"I wanted a song where there's no real build-up, it just starts. I mean, you're in the song. I felt like it made a good introduction to the sound I was going for on the album."
The next single, "Trust," leans even further into the electronic influences that have become central to his music. Built around his Prophet synthesizer - an instrument he calls his "bread and butter" - the track was inspired by futuristic imagery.
"I kind of just wanted to make more of a cyber-punk, dystopian, Ghost in the Shell kind of vibe," he says. "I wanted that to be what you picture in your head when you listen to it - very spacious and futuristic sounding."
The final single before the album release, "Run In Place," is also the opening track on Passerby. It begins with a moody introduction before the drums kick in, setting the tone for the entire album.
"It's got a more intense kind of vibe to it," he says. "That's probably my favourite song on the album."
Although Passerby became his goal over the last year, some parts of the album have been sitting with him much longer. One song, "Leave It All Behind," began nearly six years ago while he was living in Vancouver.
"I got the verse sections done, but the chorus never felt right to me until I revisited it last year," he says. "I came up with a new idea, and I was like, okay, now it feels like a song."
That attention to detail is reflected in his songwriting process. Every song starts with the same foundation.
Photo credit: Eric Kozakiewicz
"I always start with a chord progression. To me, that's the basis of a song. That's the bones of a song," he says. "The chords you choose, the key they're in, and the tonality can really help shape the emotional vibe of the song."
From there, melodies come next, while lyrics are the more challenging part.
"I'll just start humming or singing gibberish just to get something going," he says. "Otherwise I will be spending six years on it."
Music has been part of his life since childhood. He first picked up the violin after becoming obsessed with The Lord of the Rings soundtrack, before moving on to guitar as his taste shifted toward bands like Linkin Park and Metallica.
For years, writing his own music didnt feel possible.
"I'd just pull up tabs on Ultimate Guitar — Metallica, 'Master of Puppets,' whatever. I thought that was the furthest I would go with music."
That changed after he accidentally wrote his first guitar riff.
"I was like, I don't know what song this is from," he recalls. "Then I realized I had just written a riff. That was the lightbulb moment when I realized I can write my own stuff."
His sound continued evolving after studying music production at SAE Institute in Vancouver, where he learned Ableton and was introduced to electronic music through friends. In the same time frame, he found the Prophet synthesizer that now defines a lot of his music.
Photo credit: Eric Kozakiewicz
"The reason I chose this synth is because I know Thom Yorke uses it a lot. Also people like RÜFÜS DU SOL and James Blake," he says. "I thought, if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me."
Even the name Void Comp reflects those cinematic influences. After trying to find an artist name that felt right, inspiration came from rewatching Blade Runner.
"The way he pronounces the Voight-Kampff test in the movie sounded like 'Void Comp,'" he says. "I quickly typed it into Spotify to see if anyone was using it. Nobody was, so I was like, okay, that's what I'm using."
After moving to Edmonton in 2022, the project began to grow beyond his bedroom. His first live performance took place at an open mic at Naked Cyber Café, where he sang in front of an audience for the first time.
"I was terrified," he says. "But it was kind of a watershed moment where I realized I can do it."
Since then, Edmonton has played a major role in his development as an artist. Opportunities through venues like BlakBar, The Buckingham and 9910, as well as performances at Purple City, have helped him build confidence while developing his live shows.
Recently, those performances have become more immersive with the addition of visuals created by collaborators, whom he met while performing at Verboden Festival in, and Edmonton visual artist Granular Adventures.
"I really liked the stuff he was doing," he says. "He uses TouchDesigner, which lets you do really cool organic and digital nature visuals."
Now that Passerby is out, His main focus is on promoting the album and take the project across Canada.
"I would like to do a Canadian tour," he says. "It's not something I've set up before, so I would need some help with that logistically, but I think that's the next step."
After years of refining his sound and slowly building the world around Void Comp, Passerby feels less like a debut and more like the beginning of what comes next.
Void Comp’s new album Passerby is out now. Follow Void Comp here.