Holding on to truths has already proven to be increasingly challenging with each passing day. It’s astounding how the internet in particular created the perfect environment to make discerning what’s real and what’s not seemingly impossible, especially relevant now with AI-generated content taking over social media along with political pundits and public servants alike taking advantage of the sheer information overload to fabricate on their favor. Ease of access of information is but an empty promise now and it’s clear that we’re all burnt out because of it. It’s an admittedly frustrating situation. “RED RED RED RED RED”, the newest single by Berlin-based psychedelic rock outfit The Dharma Chain, channels this feeling quite strongly and we at Everything Is Noise is stoked to be premiering it along with its accompanying music video.
The track, according to the band, ‘…Reflects on how authority shapes truth and perception and the consequences of standing in silence… Systems of control are never permanent and people begin to question the narratives they’ve been shown.‘
The menacing undercurrent to the locked-in groove of the song is already telling of the defiance implied on the above quote, with the bright and echo-laden guitar strums teasing around the gruff tones of the bass. The borderline catatonic delivery of the vocals subtly teeters between nonchalant and being on the verge of madness, especially on the ‘I see red‘ refrain during the chorus as the drums switch from a linear motorik beat to a fun ride/hi-hat pattern. Culminating the track is a surprisingly explosive sendoff that sees the band on a more fluid, noisier state by ever so slightly picking up the tempo and adding flourishes to the previously rigid instrumentation; a fitting sonic narrative to its deliberate expression of dissent.
Keeping up with the aesthetics suggested by the song title, its music video is mostly filtered through varying hues of red. Throughout it, clips of the band playing are superimposed over each other and edited with quick instances of heavily saturated liquid shapes and distorted sections that give the video a kaleidoscopic but uncanny touch. It really blends well with the song’s ominous brand of psychedelia.
“RED RED RED RED RED” is The Dharma Chain‘s first single for their upcoming sophomore album Some Kind of Pure State, to be released via Spinda Records (in collaboration with Le Cèpe Records, Clostridium Records, Echodelick Records, and Dirty Filthy Records) on June 5 of this year. The record will present itself as ‘a document of transformation shaped by the quiet disorientation of change‘, incorporating topics of ‘love in its many forms, addiction, political currents, and the search for meaning in the everyday‘. Be sure to follow their Facebook and Instagram pages to stay tuned for any future updates.
