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The Drood, welcome back to VENTS! Can you tell us about your latest single, Psychic Institute?
DANIEL: Thank you again for having us! Psychic Institute is definitely a dance-track. It’s a nice straight head-bobber that might also trick you into a little philosophical self-examination.
Is there a story behind the single?
NATHAN: We didn’t set out with the intention to write a dance song, but that’s what came out! Psychic Institute unintentionally evolved into an homage to the industrial music which shaped our musical proclivities. The lyrical message, if any, is a cautionary tale about the emptiness and transparency of sentimentality.
DANIEL: We all build and live inside our own Psychic Institutes full of sentimentality. This song is a reminder to open the doors, get-out and wander the halls.
It’s a lot different from your last single, It Needs Must Wither; what inspired the change?
DANIEL: We consider our approach to art to be very eclectic. We love to investigate where a particular path is leading. If we find something interesting we just try to nurture and explore it, and go with whatever mood, form, and shape is naturally revealing itself. This track took on a strong forward movement right from the get-go and we just jumped on-board.
NATHAN: When I wrote this I was kind of in a slump, psychologically and emotionally. I tried to write something upbeat, rhythmically speaking. However in doing so I realized that I was in danger of forcing something I didn’t feel. I was engaging in toxic positivity. After that realization, I let the song do what it lyrically wanted to and become a little darker, hateful, and honest.
What’s the main thing you want the listeners to take away from Psychic Institute?
NATHAN: Be mindful of philosophical suicide. Leveraging a sentimental narrative as a coping mechanism when faced with the meaninglessness and absurdity of existence, is not only of temporary comfort, but dishonest and transparent to others. It gives us a comfortable story and an out to not have to face our reactions to our own truths.
DANIEL: For me the song feels like a warning to be careful about not getting stuck in toxic nostalgia. Pining for past connections, moments and feelings are a deceptive distraction that can keep us from fully experiencing the present. People chain themselves to the past. We build and live inside our own Psychic Institutes full of sentimentality. This song is a reminder to open the doors, get-out and wander the halls.
Who were your biggest music influences for the single?
DANIEL: Specifically, who knows? The subconscious echoes of our favorite artists are always sewn-into the tapestry of our songs. At the top of that list are artists like cEvin Key, Edward KaSpel, Radiohead, My Bloody Valentine, and Daniel Ash just to name a few.
Did you have any particular kind of empty sentimentality in mind when you wrote the lyrics?
NATHAN: Not a specific sentiment, but rather the collective importance placed on sentimentality which is a huge and often monetized part of modern culture. I’m not saying being sentimental is a bad thing, but the indoctrination to do so publicly, as a personality trait, is detrimental to personal philosophical growth and also leaves one vulnerable to exploitation by religion, consumerism, and sociopaths.
How is the rest of 2022 shaping up for the Drood?
DANIEL: More music and videos are on the way in 2022, and perhaps a live show or two this summer. We are putting together a very special live event in Denver this fall with some excellent guests, so stay tuned for more information on that.
