Digital Silence – Peter McPoland
★★★★★
After steadily gaining popularity on the social media platform TikTok, Peter McPoland releases his first work of 2023. The single, “Digital Silence,” was released alongside a tease for a new album as, presumably, the lead single for McPoland’s sophomore album.
McPoland grew in popularity on social media for his indie singer-songwriter style—similar to artists such as Briston Maroney, Del Water Gap, and Charlie Burg. While he strayed from the soft, folky instrumentals of his early music with his debut album Slow Down, the album was still very identifiable as the work of McPoland. His raspy vocals and heartfelt ballads were undeniably his style.
“Digital Silence,” shockingly, is a complete 180-degree shift from McPoland’s typical sound. The song is a hyper-pop, somewhat aggressive political commentary. With lyrics like “We’re gonna execute the mother / To elevate the man,” it’s obvious the focus of this song was social injustice. It certainly focuses more on societal issues than any other song in his discography.
The single release coincided with a long message from McPoland—posted to all of his social media accounts. He speaks of his love for production (emphasized by his sole production credits on the new single), and his desire to shift into a more experimental place with his music. With an upcoming album “about as long as [his] entire Spotify catalog,” I can’t help but wait eagerly for the day I can hear the products of this new era. It’s certainly coming from a place of love and creativity, so it’s sure to be worth a listen.