The latest single, “Real Life,” from Kazaizen, is a soulful serving introspection that’ll challenge you as much as it makes you want to stop moving. Seamlessly incorporating elements of funk, psych-pop, and experimental electronic textures, the song pleads for you to think.
“Real Life” grabs you with its warm analog groove and retro-futuristic vibe. It’s slick, catchy, and sophisticated, the type of song that lodges in your brain and stays there long after the last note has rung. But underneath the chilled-out pulsation is an undercurrent of existential inquisitiveness. Are we living authentically? Or have we silently given over to the algorithm?
Kazaizens wallow blissfully in the ambiguity, letting the music do the musing. There’s a dreamy otherworldliness to the vocals, sung at just enough of a remove to make it seem like they’re coming from an outside-the-simulation source. The words entice. Maybe one day we’ll know and see with our real eyes.
What makes “Real Life” sting with particular force is its subtlety. It doesn’t shout or force you to pay attention. It wins it. It’s the sort of track that could sit pretty in either a late-night drive playlist or the corner of a dim, piss-soaked basement show, where the crowd is vibing more than it’s raging. Consider it contemporary meditation with a bassline.