I love my solitude – maybe more than most. I love it so much that I don’t really participate in the digital era; no disrespect to those that do, but for me it’s always evoked deep feelings of loneliness as opposed to togetherness. Sounds a bit hypocritical coming from someone that enjoys solitude, right? But there’s a huge distinction between needing a moment away from everything and feelings of isolation intruding on you. Richbreed’s “Overdose” not only touches on this distinction but expands on how an overconsumption of social media only worsens a user’s loneliness.
“Overdose” is a Pop-EDM track with catchy hooks and a melody that’s determined to play on loop in your head. The single details how social media gives the illusion of connectivity while in actuality, it’s isolating users. I think three lyrics within the chorus perfectly sum up the user experience with social media; “Every drug I take is on my phone / I have no friends, but they all say we’re close / I smile even though I feel alone”. All social media platforms now have apps that a user can download onto their phone which makes them easily accessible – leaving a user open to potentially overconsuming it. Or ‘overdosing’ on it. Then the ‘friends’ that are spoken of are referring to the people that follow us and we follow back. Those followers have a front row seat to the content we post, strengthening the illusion that they’re close to us. But it’s no secret that the content being posted is often just the highlights of our lives; these people genuinely have no idea if the user whose content they’re reviewing is well or not. So, for all we know, the smiles we’re seeing in videos and photos could be masking loneliness. “Overdose” is a powerful statement on the poor, current sociopsychological conditions people are dealing with as the result of engaging with social media.
The Richbreed trio consists of Austin Kolbe, Atla Gadret, and Justin Bates. All three are better known for projects they’ve worked on outside of the group. Kolbe was a breakout star from the original Netflix series, “Westside”. Gadret was the mastermind behind the success of the EDM group, Lucent Dossier. And Justin Bates has written and produced music for trending artists like Kid Cudi and Steve Aoki. Now, Richbreed thrives on Bates’ songwriting and producing while Kolbe and Gadret are the faces and voices listeners get familiar with on stages. If you enjoy their emotional lyricism and tenacity as much as I do, there’s an opportunity to see the group perform live! August 17th, the Kiss Kiss Bang Bang lounge bar at The Line, in Los Angeles, is the next performance they’ve got scheduled. But if you’re homebound elsewhere, virtual love in the form of streams and follows is always appreciated, too.
Written By Giavanna Gradaille
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