Unca John – Replaced By Robots (2023)
From Artificial Intelligence to iPods, television to podcasts, advanced technology infiltrates every area of our lives and negates the need for humans along the way. Think about it, before we had printers there was the printing press. Machines came along and all those people lost their jobs. Nowadays, printers are quickly becoming obsolete with everything online. Look at AI; it removes the need for, well, everyone. Music videos, articles, chatbots, hotel staff – advances in these areas have us being replaced by robots. Singer-songwriter Unca John takes this on in his new single ‘Replaced By Robots’.
I’ll be honest, US-based Unca John is no Mick Jagger, but he has the economics professor swag and highly relatable songs that Jagger doesn’t. With a high-spirited blend of power-pop and folk in a pool of indie-rock, Unca John sets the stage with a catchy bounce. The melody is smooth and soothing, but a bite breaks through the gentleness giving it a grittier edge. From pounding drums to dynamic guitars and slivers of keys cutting in around the chorus, ‘Replaced By Robots’ has the classic indie-rock tone with a contemporary vibe.
Pushing the relatability factor, Unca John’s bold vocals add a sense of simplicity and directness with a conversational tone in the execution. You feel as if he was speaking about something important and just happened to have a toe-tapping rock sound in the background.
One aspect I find intriguing about Unca John is the laidback but brutally honest lyricism. ‘Replaced By Robots’ confronts the impact of technology on the workplace sharing how robots “never need a vacation/ never need a break” which is fantastic if you’re the employer but not so fantastic if you’re the employee. Yet, the poignancy of this topic is lightened with the deadpan humour evoking giggles with “I need another doughnut/ I need another tax cut”. Amusingly, the opening is a robotic voice announcing how we are being “replaced by robots”.
With all its positivity and improvement, there is a negative, job-killing side to advanced technology in the workplace. Taken off his upcoming album Midlife Crisis Vanity Project, Unca John cuts to the core of the issue with ‘Replaced By Robots’.
For more from Unca John, check out his official website, Facebook and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
