Sydney metalcore heroes Northlane have taken to social media to share a detailed explanation of their latest single, ‘Impulse’. Writing on Facebook, rhythm guitarist Josh Smith took the opportunity to urge fans to be wary of sacrificing their real lives for one lived online.
Smith opened his missive with the opening refrain of ‘Impulse’ — “So alone in our digital world” — before launching into an explanation of the song and of what he views as the detrimental impact technology is having on human interaction and relationships.
“‘Impulse’ is a song about the de-humanisation of our interactions through technology and social media,” Smith writes. “It’s an observation about how many of us live vicarious lives where our self esteem is based upon the opinions of people that we don’t personally know.”
“Appreciate what’s happening right now. Your relationships to the ones you love are based on communication, but as great as technology is, it’s not directly replaceable for face to face contact and direct human interaction.”
“Even though we are so connected to and through technology to the point where it’s almost a physical part of us.” Smith then begins elaborating on the deteriorative effect that the rapid expansion of technology in our daily lives is having on our psychological wellbeing.
“So alone in our digital world”. Impulse is a song about the de-humanisation of our interactions through technology…
Posted by Northlane on Tuesday, July 28, 2015
“You can see this in how people interact socially, we are becoming more and more unable to relate physically whilst being more comfortable with ourselves than ever when placed behind a screen,” the guitarist continues.
“We are able to say horrible things about one another without a shadow of guilt because we’re behind the safety of a computer screen and not breathing down somebody’s neck. Don’t be distracted from living in the moment, don’t be distracted from the here, who and now.”
Smith’s post comes as Aussie rapper Ivan Ooze is receiving praise for his own recent Facebook post, in which he claimed he regrets supporting US rapper Azealia Banks on her recent tour because of what he views as her history of cyber-bullying.
“The comments Azaelia has made on her twitter, including death threats and homophobic slurs towards Australians shows that she is just a cyber bully and doesn’t deserve to tour this country,” Ooze wrote.
Meanwhile, Northlane recently announced a massive national tour to celebrate their new album, Node, which Tone Deaf reviewer Dylan Evans called “a heavy deviation from the group’s previous efforts” and “a fork in the road for genre enthusiasts”.
