Modern technology has helped us become more efficient in a lot of ways, but inanimate screens are not necessarily known for helping us properly relay emotions. No matter your intentions, trying to be sincere in a text is about as straightforward as being able to breathe in space. Our futile gestures turn into a frustrating game of ‘what do they mean by that?’, and eventually, it all spurs into a colossally unwinnable argument.

This all begs the question. Why do we still engage? Maybe we all secretly love the delicious torture of what rising alternative rapper mynameisntjmack calls “argue typing”.

Without the help of the usual signifiers of inflection and body language, engaging in an important conversation online leaves everyone guessing how anyone’s really feeling. It’s pointless, silly, and stressful, and Virginia-born, LA-based rapper jmack brings that simultaneous sense of frustration and playfulness to the forefront in his new single.

Bookended by a sultry sample of a lounge singer, jmack glides smoothly into “argue typing” with his first verse. Atop jazzy instrumentals, he dives into the dangers of bringing relationships into the digital world, and wonders how something inanimate can destroy our humanity. With a wry humour and piercing metaphors (he raps about trading heated attachments while checking his credit score), the single is a multilayered track that signifies jmack’s continued climb up the ladder of the alternative rap scene.

With an accompanying music video from director Josh Flores, Jmack’s previous work includes his debut LP mynameisnt, which came out in May. Each single from the LP puts a different part of jmack’s strengths on display, from his expert sampling, intimate tales of substance abuse and mental illness, smooth verses, and more. With songs like these, maybe he’ll be a part of the generation that helps us end some of our bad habits.