Replaced By Robots – The Ocean (2025)
Think of the dystopian realm of the film V for Vendetta, where a totalitarian, fascist party has seized control through propaganda, surveillance and fear; however, instead of human soldiers dishing out the censored media and terrifying setting of Orwellian calibre, we have a bunch of C3POs and R2D2s patrolling the streets. In the distance, you don’t hear the sirens or the pounding of boots on the ground. You hear enigmatic music peeping from the depths of despair; you hear Replaced By Robots.
Hailing from the United States, David Charles Goolkasian, Heather Joy Morgan, and Adam Wade wander across the streets bringing surreal music that flickers with light in the tragic darkness. Describing themselves as “obsolete bohemians, just human souls wandering through this electronic planet…”, their cinematic obscurity is our soundtrack – a brief glimmer into the sonic expression of the end of the world… and the day after that. The trio made themselves known earlier this year with the EP, The Experiment, and today we tilt our head to hear ‘The Ocean’.
‘The Ocean’ is a single that oscillates yet entwines contrasting elements of retro and contemporary, cinematic haze and anchoring practicality, thundering rock and wistful shoegaze. Opening with simple acoustic strumming, Replaced By Robots set their human nature before us, offering organic simplicity compared to complex electronica; then the tip toward rushes of hard-hitting sound comes in. Washed-out electric guitars wind about in a kaleidoscopic swirl, while a pounding drum pierces the background – a flood of sound where you truly feel as if you are being consumed by a powerful, although sensitive, wave of music.
For me, the instrumentation and its elegantly layered arrangement are the parts that seep into your skin, fill your soul, and bring the light; however, it is the vocals that add warmth and charm to the delicate unpicking of human vulnerability. Their band name might be Replaced By Robots, but the heart and warmth oozing from ‘The Ocean’ proves they are nothing but raw human emotion wrapped in impressive music.
In addition to the single, Replaced By Robots released an official music video for ‘The Ocean’. You can view the video below and/or on their YouTube channel. Please note that this video uses lighting effects that can trigger seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy. Viewer discretion is recommended.
VIEWER DISCRETION IS RECOMMENDED
Find out more about Replaced By Robots on their official website, Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp, YouTube and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
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