At the first bass-beat of the new original single “Ray Gun” by Glass Rumours, something inside you feels torn, and it doesn’t stop. It’s a smooth combination of dance-pop and experimental, something off, but for now, it’s becoming the new normal. It is as if they’re slicing their name inside your brain just to make you understand. The entire sound has a rigid, almost sociopathic take that catches you on those bite-sized sugar-rush hooks, plus enough human emotion to not make it sound sinister. The imagery evoked in “Ray Gun” is full of acute paranoia. You can tell that the song has heavy anxiety about the “possibility that technology might completely know you better than yourself”. The most surprising aspect of this song, however, is that Glass Rumours isn’t sermonizing over this fear and vitriol that many of us feel. Instead, the band runs with it in true futurist-fashion.
On the lyrical side, “Ray Gun” is subtle in its approach but resonates past the overpopulated “THEY’RE WATCHING YOU” complex. They never outright make any of their points. Instead, they pose it as a question. It’s an intriguing case of implicit messaging, not through obvious telling, but clever implication. Do you even trust the information coming out of your screen? Are you sure that something, or someone, hasn’t already replaced the host inside your mind? The concept of a virtual shape-shifter is mirrored through the lyrics – Glass Rumours is telling a tale of artificial intelligence that can mimic you and eventually become you. Vocals feel half human, half technologically produced which made total sense with the overall them. To top it all off, the instrumentation is as coldly sharp as the bass-beat opening the entire song. Icy synths juxtapose the slightly raw, hip-hop aesthetic of the basslines underneath. It’s tight, but it never feels overproduced. It almost feels almost live for an experimental song of its kind. The beat is suggestive, in a way, that every next move is calculated, intentional but deliberate. It is the perfect mix of ambient sound and strategic silence that catches you on those bite-sized sugar-rush hooks, plus enough human emotion to not make it sound sinister.
The element that really brings “Ray Gun” to life is, of course, that the entire sound of it is a solid concept. It doesn’t just have a great idea behind it – its ideology doesn’t overshadow the pop-based appeal. This is just as carefully planned as it is performed – easily the most addicting aspect of the entire song. To wrap it all up, Glass Rumours takes an experimental dance-song with futuristic dystopian vibes and crafts something out of it that is methodically planned out. It is arranged so well, that it is addicting to listen to. You will find yourself questioning by the end of it if the song was warning you about the future… or if it was the future that was already here. It’s a sound that you’ll not forget, either way.
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