I CAN’T TELL IF I’M DYING
I CAN FEEL THE CHEMICALS TRYING
THIS FADING IS WAITING
THE BLACK STAR IS HESITATING
Soma is a popular hallucinogenic antidepressant that is distributed freely to citizens of the World State in Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World. In the World State, Soma is used as a tool of social control, helping to maintain the stability and order of society by dulling the senses to prevent individuals from questioning or challenging the established social order. Soma represents the dangers of relying on pleasure and escapism to avoid confronting the realities of life and the potential consequences of such a choice.
Dystopian cyberpunk outfit AVGMNT (pronounced “augment”) is the brainchild of ΩZ (né Zach Wager of Dead Animal Assembly Plant ) and αn (Fernando Ruiz). Their latest single, “Somatose”, from their debut concept album SEQVENCES (due out April 21st), explores mind control, totalitarianism, trans-humanism, and societal collapse; all based in the fictional city of Hexatropolis 2.0. The industrial duo blend elements of synthwave, EBM, industrial, and trap in their sound, emulating the feeling of late capitalism and the urgent warnings of the armageddon it shall deliver to humanity. While AVGMNT’s roots and wires can be traced to distant dystopian times and places, the project is thoroughly caked in the grime of the present. No longer is science and dystopia merely a work of fiction, but coming to fruition before our eyes.
Watch the visualizer below:
“SEQVENCES introduces and explores the fictional city of Hexatropolis 2.0 through a loose narrative,” the band explains, in regard to the album’s concept. “It was important for us to really establish a voice without limiting ourselves stylistically but maintain cohesion. We felt by having this strong foundation, it gave us the freedom to still be thematic. The state of our current dysfunctionally dystopian world was the biggest point of inspiration – just injected with a little (but not much) sci-fi flair. A global pandemic and the resulting response can really force some hard re-evaluations about society as a whole. We wanted to balance the idea of dense audio claustrophobia to bouts of aggression mixed with rich spatial layering. We hope people enjoy the ride through the layers of neon haze into sordid city streets. Welcome to the world of AVGMNT.”
SEQVENCES is out on April 21st, 2023.
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