With his new single “Pills,” out now, Nathaniel Paul again shows that he is creating sonic comments. Widely celebrated for his ability to mix introspection with a laid-back groove, Paul leans more heavily into cultural criticism on this track, offering a piercing, incisive look at society’s hunger for short-term solutions and the blunting of emotional complexity.
Within just the opening seconds, “Pills” hits you like the gradual crest of a wave. It’s hypnotic, yet never hollow. The pulsing synth textures are on the move with intention, helping construct a lo-fi indie rock aura that’s intimate and eerie at the same time. But there’s an unease stitched into every beat, a twitch, a pressure that mirrors the song’s lyric about medicated monotony. But there Paul is, a steady voice in the mist like a lighthouse, not panicking but shouting to anyone carried away by the waves.
Lyrically, “Pills” doesn’t preach. Instead, it reflects. There’s something invisibly observational in how Paul renders our shared reliance on distractions, emotional prescriptions, digital noise, whatever keeps the existential ache at bay. He depicts a culture in a circular pattern, medicating pain, passion, depth, and meaning. And while the message is heavy, the song is still inviting, powered by a groove that keeps you dancing even as you dance in your head.
What makes “Pills” resonate is its equilibrium. It’s not too abstract, not too you-too direct. Paul affords the listener an opportunity to find their own reflection in the song, giving sound to a quiet yet poignant protest. It doesn’t scream, but it refuses to whisper, either. This track is an excellent reminder that music can still threaten, move, and count in an era when so much of the Internet, a cellphone, and an entire 7-Eleven feel manufactured or transitory, “Pills” dares to ask what we’re all truly inescapably trying to avoid, and whether we’re prepared to feel once more.
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