Michael Vettraino, a Louisville-based musician, has dropped his latest single, 'Chasing the Sub Lime', a vibrant synth-pop track that tackles some heavy topics with a dose of playful satire. Released earlier this month, the song and its accompanying music video provide a compelling commentary on modern society, inviting listeners to confront uncomfortable truths with an infectious, upbeat sound.
Vettraino, a seasoned musician known for his diverse influences, draws inspiration from the likes of Wes Montgomery's technical guitar work, Stevie Wonder's soulful melodies, and the contemporary sounds of L'Impératrice. This eclectic mix manifests in 'Chasing the Sub Lime', a track that blends catchy synth-pop with thought-provoking lyrics. The song delves into themes of societal reflection and self-exploration, examining the challenges of navigating a complex and often overwhelming world.
"In the winter of '21-22 I went to South America and wrote a concept album about climate change called 'Trash Beach' that I decided not to release because it was too dark. The idea behind this single and the music video is that we can process uneasy social concepts in real time through movement," Vettraino explains.
"The core idea of the song being that as a (USA) culture we have an inability to sit in quiet places with ourselves, to have honest conversations with ourselves, and to have honest conversations with each other about who we are, what we want and where we're going. Social media further alienates each individual and obfuscates the truth inside all of us. It is difficult to poke fun at the vehicle when we're all riding in it. The over-the-top camp and satire is an attempt to pierce through this irony. This song and accompanying music video touches on money in politics Roe Opioid epidemic Who are our heroes? and the whitewashing of history."
The music video, a visually striking piece, expands on these themes, presenting a dystopian vision of a world where technology allows people to filter out uncomfortable realities. "It is a dystopian present," Vettraino describes. "There are a pair of glasses that integrate the internet seamlessly into the wearer's perceived reality. The main character uses them to censor and ignore uncomfortable topics such as money in politics, Roe, the opioid epidemic, injustice, and who and what we value as a nation. However, as he traverses the internet-reality he acquires cookies which start to sprout from his body as grotesquely bedazzled soft sculpture growths, those pesky terms and conditions. Eventually, our hero is completely overgrown and things fall apart."
Vettraino's aim is to encourage listeners to engage with these difficult subjects through the power of music and movement. "Considering the current political instability, malaise and fearfulness in progressive communities this release and accompanying music video dives straight into uncomfortable concepts with a fun bubblegum synth-pop sound that encourages the listener to process these difficult concepts through movement," he notes.
The song, part of his EP 'From Down Here', was recorded primarily at Vettraino's home, with drums and vocals captured at Downtown Recording Studio in Louisville, a location that has hosted numerous notable artists. With 'Chasing the Sub Lime', Michael Vettraino offers a compelling and timely exploration of modern culture, inviting us to dance our way through the complexities of our world.
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