Teenage sensation Cathy Jain recently shared “artificial”, the title track from her debut EP, which is arriving in November. artificial, according to Jain, “takes a look at how we define what is really “real” when we spend so much of our time either in our own heads or in a virtual world.” Today she offers the latest from the upcoming release in the form of “Green Screen”, saying:
“I wanted to write something with a more epic vibe. When I began working on green screen I gradually built in layer after layer of vocal harmonies and instrumentation to build the track up. I was aiming for a blissful, almost psychedelic experience that resonates with the theme of the song about how even authentic emotions can often feel fake or derivative.”
“green screen” begins with bobbing synths and slovenly beat, which perfectly matches her sweetly drawled introduction “I’m bored, it’s late the stores are closed / and I’d explore my phone, I have some more emotions to look for.” From there we follow her mind into her device, the song switches tone to a glitchier electronic backing with her sing-song vocals emphasising the feeling of discovering a whole new world that can be shared with friends and strangers online. With expert switches in tone and timbre, she pulls us through the vicissitudes of her mood, one minute showing her self-awareness as she admits “sometimes we just wanna be some melodramatic teens” and shortly after mewls “you say it’s just a screen, it is reality for me.” With the music gently pushing us back and forth, we get swept up in her coy attitude and playfulness, sucked into the drama. While “green screen” starts with boredom, it ends up in pure pointed emotion – these interactions are pulse quickening, no matter that they’re all online.
Watch the video for “green screen” below or find it on streaming platforms.
Cathy Jain’s artificial EP is out on November 5 through Yala!. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram.
