Inject the Light is a time capsule, a one-person project from Chris Mason that’s about living in the moment of the COVID-19 lockdowns. Mason, who has also plays with Low Culture and Macho Boys, among others, takes a new approach here. This five-song digital release is a little on the lo-fi side, with elements of New Wave, No Wave, synth punk, sci-fi, punk rawk and more. It’s melodic and peppy, but artsy and conceptual too.
As the name suggests, the record explores the absurdity of 2020 alongside the crass commercialism, health risks and anxiety. It wavers in tone between anxiety and fascination at the surreal time we’re living in. I normally wouldn’t post a track listing as useful information in a review, but the titles here really tell the tale:
- The Apocalypse Is Boring
- Inject The Light
- We Deliver
- Tomorrow
- Got a Year’s Worth Of Food And A Thousand Guns (I’m Lonely)
“The Apocalypse Is Boring” and “Tomorrow” are both anxiety-laden tracks with a fear of doomsday. Repetitive beats create inhuman, surreal vibes with nihilistic lyrics adding to that gloomy sense. “Inject The Light” keeps that feeling going, but with a faster beat and bigger hook that deliver a snarky look at the failed Trump presidency. “We Deliver” breaks it up in the middle with spoken vocals that read off the absurdity of our times seemingly straight from the note taped on the door of your neighborhood restaurant. There are also ‘80s SoCal punk impressions across the board, on display prominently in “Tomorrow,” which is followed by “Got A Year’s Worth Of Food and A Thousand Guns (I’m Lonely).” What more can I say that isn’t in that title?
While The Apocalypse Is Boring is an isolation-made one-off, it’s enjoyable in its blend of snark and politics and, more importantly, it feels like a realized project. I already called it a time capsule due to its literal documentation of life in the spring of 2020, but sonically it would pair well with political records that came out of SoCal in the early to mid-1980s. And you know what? I still listen to those records too, even if a lot of the commentary is dated. Good tunes will prevail.
