The ice is meltin’ and the trees are burnin’
Future Shock — Sims
It’s a bit hard to believe that song was released in 2011. Those were written before the 2016 El Niño and resultant record Antarctic ice minimum. Before record wildfires in Australia and Canada. Before terms like “Atmospheric River” and “Wet Bulb” became broadly known. If song lyrics can be used as a gauge of doom, it seems to me the doom is accelerating.
The song seems a pretty straightforward doom piece. The opening verse introduces us briefly to the artist’s upbringing and age (29 when the song was released). I take “connected the zoo” to be a metaphor for the internet and smart phones. Four lines later this is juxtaposed against the disconnectedness that has resulted from connecting the zoo.
The next verse takes a deep dive into the isolation of being “connected”.
The time a-plenty, inbox full, so why do I feel so god damn empty?
The verse grows more despondent towards the end, with the mention of climate catastrophe, it seems all hope is lost and then moves into questioning the value of, well, anything.
I find the opening of the fourth verse interesting. My interpretation is this is the artist lamenting the speed of changes and longing for simpler times that were vastly more fulfilling. The reference to “Fendi” really speaks to me. One of my favorite things to hate on is designer bags, but fashion is pretty good to hate on as well.
The next verse continues with a theme of anti-consumerism, moves through some resentment for the burden placed on everyone because of the careless consumption of a few and eventually circles back to disconnectedness.
My take is that there are a few different future shocks, but the overbearing one the artist is experiencing is isolation, loneliness, and emptiness as a result of being completely disconnected.