Pop culture has always not merely kept pace with advancements in technology. It has been powered by them. Traditionally, in fact, the first places where you can see cutting-edge tech at work have always been horrible wars and the relaxing world of media and entertainment.
And, of course, when it comes to pop music, there have always been sceptics. The first wave of rock n’ roll stars beamed down through television meant that image suddenly was, at least, as important as skill. The 1980s groups that relied heavily on synths were deemed, by some, to be somehow cheating the effort required to play a pop song. And, let’s face it, most of the pop stars in the 90s had about as little involvement in the song that they were singing as the guy cleaning the recording studio after the sessions.
However, there’s a mood of uncertainty around. That anxiety is driven by many factors, including wars, financial uncertainty, and societal changes. But, somehow, they all have modern tech at the heart of these worries. Ophelia Moon’s “Avatar: Encryption Code” aims to put a sound to the fears, an aural picture on top of the worries.
In fairness, modern technology is not something most of us understand well. It’s only fitting then that Ophelia Moon’s music itself is vague and mysterious, leaving just enough space for you to place your own dreams and worries.
It’s also fitting that the song’s format is one that resembles a piano ballad. This, together with the pacing and vocal delivery, is a traditional pop format and thus will always be used for topics that concern audiences at that particular time. Today it’s AI tech, tomorrow it could be alien invasions being sung about over piano arpeggios.
Finally, Ophelia Moon’s pretty music plugs into an ugly fear, cleverly. What if this is the road to fewer and fewer freedoms? What if we’re on our way to becoming irrelevant in a story that we thought was about us? Naturally, all of these insecurities deserve a soundtrack.
This article was brought to you in a collaboration with One Submit – Spotify promotion, music magazines, TikTok music promotion and more.