In our consumer-driven world, money and fame often promise a golden glow of happiness that rarely lives up to its marquee billing. We chase after cash and celebrity like moths to a flame, yet these fleeting symbols of success seldom deliver true satisfaction. Genuine contentment doesn’t spring from a bulging bank account or the glare of the spotlight but from deep connections, personal growth, and inner peace. The relentless pursuit of more can easily eclipse the simple, sincere pleasures that truly nourish our souls. Yet, for some—like the 21st-century tech bros who birthed the vanity of social media—Gordon Gekko’s “Greed is Good” mantra from the 1987 film Wall Street isn’t a warning but a guiding principle. For them, the allure of shallow accumulation is impossible to resist.
With their latest single Numb and Hollow, Indonesian duo Camlann serves up a poignant critique of capitalism yuppie culture, showing how wealth and early success don’t guarantee happiness.
Ony Godfrey and Fauzan Pratama have traveled a twisting trail from their trad-goth beginnings to their present mix of dark disco and gritty post-punk. They’ve borrowed beats and moods from diverse deities of sound like Xmal Deutschland, Clan of Xymox, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Grace Jones, and Prince. Their evolving experiment has brewed up a distinctive brew of music, where vocals drift dreamily over synths, adding an eerie elegance and enigmatic edge to their tracks.
The video for Numb and Hollow plunges into the personal plight of a Wall Street bigwig, a man wrapped in wealth yet wrestling with a hollow heart. Amidst his opulent existence, he discovers that gold and grandeur haven’t granted him genuine joy. The lyrics delve into the weight of maintaining a deceptive facade—a charade masking his true self. This stark story critiques the vacuousness of a life driven by material madness and societal showmanship, offering a hard-hitting hint that authenticity, not artifice, is where true contentment lies.
Watch the video for “Numb and Hollow” below:
As Camlann ventures into uncharted sonic seas, they stir up a storm of sound, blending shadows and beats with brazen boldness. From dark disco’s dance floor to gritty post-punk’s grimy grooves, they shape their soundscape without shackles or restraints. Their debut, The Forgotten Lost Fragments, was followed by Circa 1983, and they tossed in tracks like Midnight Euphoria and Charming Deceiver before unleashing their third album, Train to 86th Street. Always pushing boundaries, Camlann crafts a concoction of melodies that straddle the line between shadowy and soulful.
Listen to Numb and Hollow below and order here.
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