In the case of indie rock outfit Origami Ghosts' latest release, "Virtual Reality Boy," we get a window into a dreamy digital dreamscape that definitely feels like it was plucked right out of the heart of a Bowie-addled fever dream. It is a song dripping with psychedelic awe and existential questioning, painted by a palette of twee folk and luminescent alt-rock trappings. "Virtual Reality Boy" is a laid-back but contemplative reflection on the digital era.
Warm finger-picked arpeggios weave in and out of hypnotic synths as a shaker-and-drum groove grounds the song with a soothing lilt. And the chorus unexpectedly sticky and brimful of thoughtful yearning sends the song into singalong territory, even as it stealthily questions the price of being alive inside a simulation. Recorded as they embarked on a low-key tech odyssey across the country to the West Coast, the song was inspired by encounters with virtual reality, which they experienced in Olympia and Los Angeles. So after scuba diving with whales in a digital ocean and trying on spy sunglasses that seemed like they were ripped from a sci-fi film, frontman Scesniak started to contemplate the allure of these hyper-real experiences.
"What if I couldn't leave this virtual world?" he pondered. "Would I want to eat candy my whole life? Like a 'be careful what you wish for' situation." That tug-of-war between enchantment and unease beats at the heart of the track. It's about the emotions evoked by submitting to technology. It's a reminder, too, that the future we dreamed of is here already, its substance infiltrating our senses via digital waves and algorithmic wonder. On "Virtual Reality Boy," Origami Ghosts not only comment on our new realities, but they also score them. The outcome is a lush, subtly creepy, and gorgeously disorienting experience that suggests the musical version of slipping on a headset and entering an alternate dimension. Only this time, you're not entirely sure that you want to return. For the dry-eyed indie-rock adherents who value both brains and heart, this is a moody, slow-burning journey worth losing oneself in.
Discover Origami Ghosts on Instagram