British singer-songwriter LAILANA released her new single Pixelated Soundwaves on March 19th 2021. Furthermore, she released the music video for the song on April 9th 2021.
The song, now released on all major music streaming platforms, was chosen as the Track of the Day on BBC Radio Surrey & BBC Radio Sussex’s BBC Music Introducing show, marking LAILANA’s radio debut in the UK. It then received two more spins on the show the following week.
LAILANA, who is of Lebanese and Filipino descent gives the meaning behind the song. She said :
"The song is about vicious cycles, specifically about someone who is stuck in a vicious cycle with drug abuse and how they can’t get out of the rabbit hole they’re stuck in. The song takes the listener on a journey that explains how a person stuck in the devastating grasp of drugs, initially sees what they describe as “the captivating beauty of drugs”, followed by the crash that they experience as a result of drug abuse.
I’ve seen firsthand how a person addicted to drugs tries to convince their friends and family, those who are constantly trying to help them break the habit, that there is an aim to all of this, that they need to continue this cycle to find the “answer”, something bigger than them.”
The song takes the listener on a journey that explains how a person stuck in the devastating grasp of drugs, initially sees what they describe as “the captivating beauty of drugs”, followed by the crash that they experience as a result of drug abuse. “It talks about the reality of drugs through the addict’s eyes.” The way it seems, the song is significant in modern society. It is no secret that drug abuse is still an issue across the world. Opioid and stimulant use is on the rise during the COVID-19 pandemic (Ashley Abramson). Recently, US rapper DMX has allegedly overdosed on drugs. He is in a coma at a hospital. Therefore, I believe this track will shed some light that drug abuse is an issue affecting everyday life.
LAILANA brings out the drug abuse through the visuals and song lyrics. In terms of the visuals, Pixelated Soundwaves is a play on the distorted mindset. LAILANA said
“If you imagine a song in its physical form- Soundwaves, a distorted -scattered version of that physical form will be the soundwaves in pixel form. I wanted to draw a picture of the distorted and muddled mind. I wanted to compare that to what the song is… Pixelated Soundwaves. It is also a reference to the way one hears and feels music differently when under the influence of strong substances."
From my perspective, at the beginning of the video, there seems to be smoke in the air. This may symbolize drug addiction. Everything is blue. LAILANA's behaviour also seems to showcase someone using drugs. Different scenes are depicted to showcase the levels of drug addiction. It also shows how the drug addict feels when taking the drugs. The scenes are unusual as they draw a picture of the distorted and muddled mind. Therefore this makes the music video unique and intriguing.
The chorus is written from the perspective of those who are trying to help the drug addict, who counteract the addict’s argument by saying “ I can’t help you take the good from the bad”. The chorus is shown below :
"I can’t / Help you / If you don’t / Help yourself / I say again & again & again / I can’t, I can’t / Help you, Help you /Take the good from the bad / Give me everything you have"
The second verse of the song mentions the effects of pixelated soundwaves, aka the distorted mindset, and how it caresses the addict until they’re lessened to nothing, physically and mentally. As a response to the line in verse 1, “All this powerless power, time’s up I just lost the race” verse two mentions how the decision is now in the addict’s hands. “Now it’s your choice if you want a win or loss, but if you love me, then you love an albatross”. Stating that if an addict chooses to love the drugs, they are loving something that will bring inevitable destruction and despair to their lives. This is shown in the lyrics below :
"And if I had it my way (if I had it) / Had it my way / I’d never let your light fade / Let your light fade / Never-ending highways / Endless highways / Pixelated soundwaves / PIXELATED SOUNDWAVES / Pixelated soundwaves, oh they’re calling / Holding me till I turn into nothing / Now it’s your choice if you want a win or loss / But if you love me then you love an albatross (an albatross)"
The music behind the background is also intriguing. If you take the song and pan it out on a piece of paper, with the way the melodies are written, you will find that it kind of looks like a graph that is on a constant incline to decline- based on the tempo of the song and the instrumental which switches from a full synth-lead melody to a stripped-back guitar verse and back to an even bigger finale (LAILANA). The constant changing of the beats could mean something symbolic. It could represent the chaos one feels when abusing drugs. In the music video, she probably feels conflicted because she knows that drug abuse has negative consequences.
The title itself adds to the song's uniqueness. Typically, the term "pixelated" refers to something related to computer graphics. However, the fact that it is included as part of the song's title distinguishes it. To be honest, I had no idea what the song title meant until LAILANA explained it to me. LAILANA has proven to be creative especially when it comes to this song. It makes one curious to understand what the song is about.
Overall, I admire the message behind the song. Drug abuse is still a prevalent issue in modern society. It should not be ignored. I loved the creative aspect of the song in terms of the music video and the song title. It makes the track more unique. Though I wish I could have known what the song was about just by looking at the title. Nonetheless, it is a song worth listening to. Therefore, I rate the song 9/10.
The music was directed, shot + edited by Ollie Paxton
Link to the music video below :
Other Links from the artist, LAILANA :
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lailanamusic/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lailanamusic
Website: http://lailana.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6kAWCrjoi0b0KeWrnnpANi
Comments