A DREAM WITHIN A DREAM — PVRIS HALLUCINATE THEIR NEW MUSIC (2019)
Whether you want to picture it as the devil and angel on your shoulder or take the serious scientific approach, inner voices as well as visions and dreams have been built into our software to facilitate the processing of information. But what if our senses fail us and some strange figments of imagination take control? When does our perception become abnormal and, most importantly, how can we tell whether what’s in front of us, clear as day, is a hallucination?
This pondering is very relevant to the brand new release from PVRIS. The trio is on a new trajectory in their career, somewhat leaning towards more pop sound (and yes, you can certainly dance to this new material). The song we are talking about today is the second single from the band’s upcoming EP, due out October 25 (followed by an LP in early 2020). “Hallucinations” is a strong and structured track. The guitar intro with the first verse serve as the calm before the storm in the form of a very upbeat and wild chorus. Whenever it arrives the song bursts into thunder and lightning and it feels both powerful and empowering.
Hallucinations, you occupy, my imagination’s running wild
New sensations, sweet temptations, I can’t tell what’s real and what’s…
The song is about your brain adjusting to an unexpected situation. Maybe you thought you had everything figured out, a happy ending in sight, living your dream life. Then everything went south because someone changed their mind, said something hurtful and left you dancing alone in the shadows. It’s against your will and you’re in shock so, naturally, the mind and the heart will turn on the survival mode. From here things might go a million different ways downhill, one of them being hallucinations.
These mental manifestations are sensory experiences that seem real but are generated by your mind. Since they may affect all five senses, just imagine the creative potential here. It provides so much artistic freedom to explore, no wonder PVRIS took advantage of it, quite spectacularly, I might add. All the visions, symbols and sensations incorporated in the video are truly an epic ride in a distorted mirror. Unnaturally long necks and tongues, crying goat masks, snakes, one creepy guy covered in bees from head to toe and another presumably buried alive. I honestly don’t know what else could fit in with all that.
The single provides so much room for interpretation that all of us will probably see different sense in this madness. One thing is certain, “Hallucinations” is grippingly good. So just be careful not to forget it’s only a delusion, ok?
There is no exquisite beauty… without some strangeness in the proportion.
― Edgar Allan Poe
