When you hear the term “protest song,” what type of song comes to mind? It’s probably a song with just one voice and a lone acoustic guitar, or a full-band excursion, potentially with a rousing sing-along section. Viris Valentine, however, opts to churn out a protest song for the times: an icy, throbbing, trap-inflected banger in the form of “Dystopia.”
Viris Valentine’s Music Claws Through The World Instead Of Escaping It
Admittedly, there is no other word more befitting for the current state of the world. Valentine’s version of dystopia, however, is spooky and sexy in equal measure. It’s cool, defiant, scathing, and galvanizing, all before hitting the three-minute mark.
Over jagged, grinding beats and amped-up-to-the-max bass lines, Valentine delivers her thesis statement: “We’re training to be slaved inside our savings / With our heads up, cut our tongues off / Keep our bloody remains,” before launching in whispers into the song’s sticky hook: “Break you / But they’ll make you / They’ll play you like a pawn in their game.”
Part FKA twigs and The Weeknd’s “Tears in the Club”, part Tinashe and Little Dragon’s “Stuck with Me,” “Dystopia” is also reminiscent of Mitski’s “Working for the Knife,” even if only in theme. The same way that “Knife” is Mitski’s way of coping with “a world that doesn’t seem to recognize your humanity, and seeing no way out of it,” “Dystopia” doubles down on the sentiment with sly, knowing sleekness.
“The song is a reflection on what it feels like to live in a world that’s constantly demanding more from us, more perfection, more productivity, more silence,” Valentine explains in the description of the YouTube audio upload for “Dystopia.” “It explores the quiet exhaustion of trying to stay human inside a system that often feels mechanical and detached.”
It’s this exhausted tension that informs the sonic in which “Dystopia” is draped, a subtle departure from previous loosies “Laughing Gas” and “Player One” which sported a more aggressive and abrasive front. “Dystopia” seethes and bites without losing its icy, synth-y coolness over which Valentine’s airy voice coos and glides — although a second hook or a middle-8 with, say, distorted screams à la Azealia Bank’s “212” would have potentially further taken it to the rafters.
As it is, though, the track rests its case as “a cry for individuality; a reminder that even in the most controlled environments, the human spirit still fights to be seen, to be felt, and to be free” with flying colors. That’s not only one step in the right direction for Valentine’s burgeoning, increasingly arresting discography but also one step closer to the utopia that we all need and seek for.
Listen To “Dystopia” by Viris Valentine Now
“Dystopia” is currently available on all streaming platforms, including Spotify. For more Viris Valentine, head over to Instagram, YouTube, and SoundCloud.
