Julia Kate, a 20-year-old sojourner in the land of melodies (a.k.a. a songwriting student at Berklee), just dropped “fake friends,” and my initial reaction was… did a sentient Instagram filter write this? Not in a bad way. More in a “wait, is this the matrix?” way.
The song’s theme slaps you in the face, gently. It explores how, in our curated, perpetually-online existence, actual connection becomes this… elusive butterfly. Insincere friends? In this economy? Absolutely. The single delves into the gnawing loneliness that festers when your feed is overflowing, but your phone stays silent. You know, the existential dread punctuated by the occasional cat video. It’s new wave-infused pop, complete with all those shimmering synths which create an artifical surface. It is a perfect auditory landscape that embodies the lyrical themese of the music.
But back to this idea of superficiality. Isn’t artifice itself, kind of, a hallmark of, um, everything now? This got me thinking of that Marie Antoinette painting…
The song does not wallow, thankfully. There’s a current of “I’m deleting you, digitally and spiritually” running through it. The lyrics reflect feelings of being overlooked, taken advantage of, and misled by individuals who value superficial connections. The artist expresses a strong desire for liberation, from the suffocating grip of a shallow existence.
Have you ever contemplated the lifecycle of a dust bunny? The track could find some companionship in a sad dance playlist.
It’s pop, make no mistake. This is the soundtrack to shedding your skin – not in a gruesome, horror-movie way, but more in a “finally realized my self-worth” sort of way. “fake friends” whispers in your ear… Just kidding. I am NOT using that phrasing. Seriously though, what is a friend, really? Julia Kate leaves us there, questioning the fabric of our digital “relationships,” and maybe, just maybe, reaching for something real.
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