Unlike what we’ve mistakenly thought at the start, kékmandarin is a three-piece of 80s-inspired PostPunk / Dark Wave band from Békéscsaba, Hungary made up of Zsolt Gyarmathy (CyberBob), Simon Tibor (Simon’s voice, one half of Empty Story) and Barnabás Árgyelán, fresh from dropping a thought-provoking video for their latest and 8th single so far, “Istenek most szabadságon (The Gods Are On Holiday)”.
Poetic lyrics paint an apocalyptic portrait of an impulse-driven society whose misguided, inverted purpose keeps them locked, as unknowing slaves, in an invisible prison of their own mind.
“Istenek most szabadságon” concocts a dark haunted realm lit by vibrant glaring shards carved by hypnotic, obsessive guitar melodies, shadowy, echoing synth mists, trembling bass lines and stumbling beats around powerfully evocative broods, releasing forlorn abandon into a bleak, soulless blanket of alienation and doom.
Soul-stirring black and white visuals blend ominous, end times, suggestions with insightful shape-shifting perceptions to sync seamlessly with the desolate, subconscious vibes of the soundtrack. A thoughtful shuffling of busy city streets, surreal introspections, and hi-def merciless nature scenes blurs the space between virtual and organic realities whilst mass surveillance screens and lost hero archetypes bring forth the disturbing lyrical sentiments of a self-obsessed existence bereft of spiritual connection.
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