Pretend Collective – We Were Machines (2024)
Drawing together the sounds of indie-rock, indie-pop, psychedelic rock, classic rock and power-pop (along with other genres), Pretend Collective is anything but pedestrian.
The brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Mike Reilly, the group is a US-based band with a reputation for “a conceptual and stylised approach to music…” With lead guitarist Aurelien Budynek and upcoming and coming indie-pop singer beccs, Pretend Collective has a sound that is as diverse as their international audience. The latest addition to their discography is the single ‘We Were Machines’.
Following their well-received single ‘Children In The Trees’, ‘We Were Machines’ is an eccentric stab at the provocative issue of AI. A powerful contemplation of the relationship between humans and intelligent technology, ‘We Were Machines’ is the sonic conversation tackling sentience, control and “suggests the manner in which humans may become subject to their own creations…” When looking at the contemplative concept, Reilly questions:
“Are we headed down a road from which there is no return? Have we permanently unlocked Pandora’s box in spite of the dire warnings from many of the most intelligent and best-informed among us? They shout pleas for common sense and sanity from the rooftops, and we seem too entranced to hear…”
Recorded and produced at New York’s Pineapple Room Studio, ‘We Were Machines’ is a rush of vintage psychedelic rock interwoven with contemporary alternative rock – a thread of music stretching from the 1970s to the 2010s. A concoction of crashing drums and dynamic guitars, a strong rock-tinged effect runs through the melody; however, the interspersed piano adds an indulgence of skin-chilling haunting with a hint of avant-garde sentimentality.
While the melody itself is enough to catch your breath in its obscure, enigmatic eclecticism, it is the vocals and plain lyricism that bind everything in a soul-stirring bow. Raw vulnerability oozes from ‘We Were Machines’ with the interplay of female and male vocals adding an eerie intensity to the track. Interestingly, amidst the creepy wash of music expressing the control of machines, ‘We Were Machines’ humanizes the creations “allowing the listener to root for this artificial underdog in their struggle for their own moral and existential sovereignty…”
Find out more about Pretend Collective on their Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
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