Dazed Faves is the series where we talk all things online – that surreal meme account you’re obsessed with, weird conspiracy theory subreddits, ASMR YouTubes, or slime Instagrams.

With a high-octane style of storytelling full of colourful characters, and his own kalaidoscopic animations to match, Onoe Caponoe’s music belongs almost as much on Adult Swim as it does on streaming platforms. His newest project, Tears of the Dragon, is the fourth instalment in the semi-autobiographical Tales from the Holy Delix Surf Gang series, which refracts his real-life experiences through the prism of chopped ‘n’ screwed rap delivery, tripped-out production, and surprisingly frequent references to cats.

Picking up the story where previous project Concrete Fantasia left off, this upcoming release centres on a break-up that Onoe Caponoe experienced last year. “I was hanging out with a gurl then we broke up. I liked her a lot so when that happened I scrapped the tape I had been making and started from scratch trying to tell this story,” he confesses, “It was a challenge to make it not boring and cringe.”

Eschewing recording studios (or being around anyone while he’s creating, for that matter), the project was recorded almost entirely at home. “I’d just moved to the top of a block and the view helped loads. A few songs I just sat looking out my window as the sky descended into darkness and just got some crazy vibe then just wrote and boom,” he explains.

The Holy Delix Surf Club lore runs deep. From the series’ mysterious blue cat protagonist appearing in many of the illustrations, to the ominous dolphin clicks that punctuate some of the present album’s most critical moments, to the enigmatic Cat Piss Surf Shop that acts as a bridge between these realities, it’s easy to imagine that Onoe’s online consumption is equally as eclectic – take a look below.

FAVE INSTAGRAM

Onoe Caponoe: Shit. So there’s a real cool surfer called @ozzywrong (AKA Ozzy Wright). I just think this dude’s mad cool, he’s a dope surfer, painter and musician. He’s got a little family and stuff and even the kids make music. I dunno, the dude just seems super chill and mad nice with everything he does.

FAVE MEME

Onoe Caponoe: So my favourite meme is probably anything ‘pilk’ related. Especially the ones with cats. I’m not sure when the whole thing started to be honest, I just hope it never ends. Long live pilk! Someone tricked me into drinking Malibu and milk once when I was about 17. I threw up all over mi new crep dem. I’m still waiting for the right time to pour up some pilk.

FAVE ALBUM

Onoe Caponoe: Shit. There are so many I wanna say, but the album I have always listened to the most is probably Quasimoto’s The Unseen. Madlib is a genius for real and I dig all his work. I’ve always really fucked with the Lord Quas though and I can remember being 14 and my homie Rela bumping the stuff hard. RIP Rela!

I’ve definitely been influenced loads by Madlib, from having clips of dialogue in my music to even introducing my blue cat character. The Unseen is dope because it’s so long I get lost in it and have no idea of the track order even though I’ve listened to it all the way through for years.

FAVE TV SHOW

Onoe Caponoe: Probably Eastbound & Down. It’s still the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. I like a lot of Danny McBride’s stuff but Eastbound & Down is next level. Extremely fucked-up humour, I love it. Kenny Powers is the man, I think he’s cool as hell.

FAVE YOUTUBE

Onoe Caponoe: This is hard because I watch all types of stuff on there. I’m gonna say a dude called Fred Beyer’s channel because he basically goes around terrorising people and events, but in such a funny way. Probably not for everyone but I find this stuff mad funny. There are a few YouTubers I watch but this guys up at the top killing it every time.

Tears of the Dragon is available for preorder now via High Focus Records