Veteran Ball of Wax contributor Emory Liu offers up “Plastic Future” for volume 38, a song protesting how mass commercialization alienates and anesthetizes people. The song opens with the lines “this plastic future / a fixture of vultures / keeping your head in the sand” and “opinions are bottled / to sell you some product” and continues along that line of social critique. Arranged in the style of intricate, turn of the century indie rock a la Pinback, Strictly Ballroom, and young Modest Mouse at their most contemplative, “Plastic Future” balances distorted guitar flare-ups and quieter passages marked by strings atop some pretty darn astonishing drumming. If you’re looking for where your yearning for social protest intersects with your love for brainy indie rock, look no further than “Plastic Future.”
Be sure to see Emory perform “Plastic Future” and other songs this Friday at the Ball of Wax 38 release show at Conor Byrne.