Little Dark Age by MGMT: The Powerful Fusion of Politics, Technology and Mental Illness
“Policemen swear to God, love’s seeping from the guns” is a line that you might miss in the indie anthem turned Tiktok hit if you weren’t listening close enough. The satirical barb at police brutality is not the only hidden gem in MGMT’s synth-wave, 2017 hit.
Released a year after Trumps election to president, the song strongly mimics the divisive, angry and nihilistic attitudes that have punctuated our time ever since. Its message to “Come find us heading for the bridge” (A potential nod to the 2011 Brooklyn bridge protests) and to “Bring a stone, All the rage” is indicative of the political rage that has since culminated in mass protests and violence on both sides of politics.
Furthermore it’s lyrics “I grieve in stereo, the stereo sounds strange” is certainly a relatable lyric to anyone who’s turned on the news lately and felt a the deep sense of alienation and dread that comes with it. The barrage of bad news, intense partisanship, and extremism is certainly enough to wonder when it was our TVs begun to sound so “strange” and can often send us into spirals of hopelessness. The message is in sync too with the accompanying melancholic echoey beats that characterise a Little Dark Age.
