After Image by Hyper Gal

Stripping pop songwriting from pop aesthetics results in After Image by Hyper Gal, a fascinating fusion sound that falls into no other category than the seemingly paradoxical no wave pop microgenre. This minimalist sound combines intense, noisy drums with passionate, poppy vocals, both of which sandwich a bizarre set of thin synth sounds that make a mockery of pop melodies. By throwing pop repetition into the open, formerly charming patterns adopt sinister undertones, revealing the mass production machinery underpinning the supposedly personable world of radio blockbusters. Meanwhile, a shimmery pop finish on these minimalist, noisy components creates unexpected moments of extraordinary beauty, capturing the euphoric nihilism of mass culture in its purest, most honest, most unobstructed form. Through use of this unique, difficult sound, we get unparalleled exposure to the emotions engineered by the major label machine, finally gaining awareness of the undertones present in the music that surrounds us every day. Armed with these new emotional antibodies, we experience the mainstream with renewed skepticism, gaining self-awareness at our manipulation and fighting back against this encroaching pointless energy.