Bad Omens and Poppy release a new song titled “V.A.N.” I’d say this song is going to be my soundtrack when I run through a cyberpunk city with a katana on a quest to find the “true truth.” The sound is pretty unique and could break some new ground. But if this was the norm, I think I would lose it pretty fast. It is intense and extremely full of little sonic tidbits and changes in dynamics. I appreciate this song just in the same way I would appreciate a one-off encounter with some random lunatic in a big city environment. It can be a whole range of emotions for both parts involved: anger, confusion, sadness, fear, and more. By the end, I’m usually left wondering, “I wonder what that was about,” but many times, finding no answer. This song is very interesting. But as a whole for me, it definitely crosses the line where interest loses focus and turns into either confusion or just white noise.

In almost every walk of life, there is something to be worried or excited about relating to AI. This song is discussing the theme of an AI gone rogue. I'm going to stick with my cyberpunk theme, but if you think about the song from that AI perspective, it does sound like a hyper-violent AI completely losing it. The robotic voice is obviously the AI singing. The aggressive instrumental parts between the verses with vocals could either be interpreted as the robot's aggressive melodies or, I guess, the artist's actual rage against the evolution of AI.

This song is a part of Bad Omens' yet-to-be-released album, “Concrete Forever.” The album will be an extension of their already released “The Death of Peace of Mind.” Concrete Forever will most likely include more featured artists, remixes, acoustic versions, and more. Poppy’s vocals are put together with Bad Omens’ industrial-metal production, which makes a pretty unique mix of synths, stuttering syncopation, and automated sci-fi FX. Fans will be happy to see that Poppy will also follow along when Bad Omens leave on their “Concrete Forever” tour in Europe. Bad Omens has recently gained a lot of attention through TikTok. Good for them! I hope they will be able to prevent the incoming irony of writing anti-AI/technology songs while being heavily reliant on algorithms to push their material. Maybe that is seen as a necessary evil. But it is truly a fact that technology is catching up to us in a lot of ways. Listening to this song makes me think of that. But the very second I stop listening, I will go back to doing whatever I was doing before. I don’t know. Will a song like this actually have the impact it is hoping to have? Well, at its worst, it is at least an extremely interesting and well-produced track worth giving a little bit of time to see what you think. Also, now that I think about it, the expected effect of a song like this is not actually for people to take direct action against AI. More to get them talking about the topic. I personally could write a lot more about it, but just go listen to the song instead.

Author: Peter Källman

Peter Källman is a writer from Sweden who loves playing in bands, writing reviews and going to live shows!