Daily existence is rapidly evolving, with rituals that once occurred entirely in the real world happening increasingly behind screens. It’s a change that has left many feeling trapped within a pane of glass. Moreover, in the past five decades, traditional social safety nets have increasingly given way to an ethos of personal responsibility. The onus is now on individuals to care for themselves, with any failure to achieve a balanced life being seen as their own fault, perpetuating a cycle of stress, abandonment and anxiety.
In FEED, an ambitious debut album by Molto Ohm, creator Matteo Liberatore urges us to confront these realities. The project highlights how capitalism’s relentless drive to commodify everything has left many subjugated by the promises of an unattainable life. Advertising, consumer technology, and the culture of self-optimization dangle visions of happiness, peace, and prosperity. Deep down, we know that these promises are often hollow, designed to sustain an economy where alienation and dissatisfaction drive consumption. Yet, the pull remains powerful, leaving many feeling estranged from themselves and their world.
The aim of FEED is to capture the battles between material comfort and bodily alienation; ecstasy and ennui; engagement and weariness. To establish this, Liberatore recontextualizes familiar signifiers: Heavy dance beats, glitchy effects, connection static, motivational speeches, sales pitches, podcast-like confessions, and (faux) ads. The sonics span EDM and abstraction; snippets of yearning songs flash by, and dissonance interrupts lulls. Commanding synths shimmer and stab, while wavy melodies offset the tension. Wistfulness is ever-present, Liberatore conveying that something is being lost. The music looking to a new paradigm.