Psychedelic rock band The Dharma Chain returns with an introspective new single, “His Head,” a searing look at societal pressures from their forthcoming album (via Anomic Records).
The hypnotic, entrancing song draws sonic inspiration from bands like Goat and Fuzz, with post-punk elements like Daniel Ash-style guitar distortion, melancholic wails, and echoing, droning vocals. It confronts the bleakness perpetually hurled at us, hypnotizing us into collective apathy.
“As always, propaganda and conformity keep us on a steady path toward apathetic self-destruction. This song is something of a call to arms, urging us to see past the endless noise so that we might glimpse something strange and unique.” says Jarra Grigg, guitarist, and vocalist.
Recorded in an abandoned church shortly before the band relocated to Berlin from Australia earlier this year. The poignant, deceptively simple music video was directed by keyboardist Emily Lawlor, portraying a day in the life of the protagonist, who exists within two starkly contrasting worlds.
“The first is the conventional, banal life of the “good” citizen in society,” Lawlor explains. “The other is an internal ‘underworld’ of sorts, where the character is pinned to a chair in a dark room with stark contrasting imagery projected upon her. In the first world she appears free, but is constrained by the expectations of society, and hence exists as a glazed-over thoughtless specter. In the dark world she struggles against the oppression thrust upon her by imagery and propaganda, recognising her own hypnosis. The video visually expresses the core message of the song – the personal struggle between inner and world, between who we really are and who we are told we should be.”
Watch “His Head” below:
Listen to “His Head” on Spotify here.
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