From LA Fallout to Anthemic Rebirth: GUARD Drops ‘THE ALCHEMIST'
South African–Australian genre-hacker GUARD returned with THE ALCHEMIST. Known for warping the rules of alt-pop and internet culture, the single was a shadowy confession dripping with late-night regret and hard-won wisdom.
Building on earlier works such as Phantom (2020) and Cognitive Dissonance (2019), GUARD blurred the line between genres once again, calling back to his signature blend of spoken rapping and soft, breathy singing. Inspired by his fallout LA era, the track channelled the lament of lost relationships and career opportunities gone awry—yet reframed that chapter as something empowering. “This isn’t about turning pain into beauty. It’s about turning scars into anthems,” GUARD explained. “I wanted to bottle up that feeling of being lost but refusing to disappear.” Instead of painting over the scars, he let them bleed into the music.
Drawing on sonic inspirations such as Paramore, Justin Bieber, and Tinashe to craft an emotional trap-pop soundscape, GUARD created the next chapter in his sonic rebellion—part diary entry, part afterparty comedown. With over 8.9 million Spotify streams and a cult following spanning continents, he continues to carve out his own lane. Following the success of singles like CONSUMA and WEED (2025), THE ALCHEMIST cemented GUARD’s reputation as an artist who doesn’t just push boundaries—he erases them.
