'5 Questions With': ABSRDST
"I wanted to make something unashamedly, gratuitously horny, and proud..."
Currently best known for the viral TikTok hit ‘We’re Beautiful’, ABSRDST today releases his new single ‘Devil Boyz’, a track that inhabits its own VR world, created by ABSRDST himself. Fast building a reputation for himself as one of the most inventive and unique young producers around, ABSRDST’s describes ‘Devil Boyz’ as a “hyperpop anthem about making beats, moon rituals, dicks, ACAB and more”, writing the song to say farewell to the toxicity of 2020 and usher in a new era of “fun, positivity and trans-humanist self-love.” With this breadth of creative vision and mentorship from record-breaking songwriter Bonnie Mckee, it is clear to see why ABSRDST’s work has been making waves behind the scenes. With the release of ‘Devil Boyz’, he is now ready to step out with his own unique brand future-facing pop music for a post COVID world.
Read the full interview below…
Words & Interview by Danielle Temeng
EQ: Hi ABSRDST, welcome to EQUATE! Your stage name is unique, can you tell us how it came about and what it means/stands for?
A: I honestly don’t have an interesting answer to this one [laughs]
EQ: Your music is high-octane, hyper-pop goodness. Where do you draw your inspiration from? Are there any artists who have particularly inspired you?
A: I really draw from my own personal experiences with sex, romance, heartbreak, etc. I have a mentor, Bonnie Mckee, who wrote a lot of the formative pop I grew up on, i.e. Hold It Against Me by Britney Spears, Your Love is My Drug by Ke$ha. These days I mostly listen to folks like Judee Sill and mid-century stuff like Margo Guryen though…I’m always trying to bring a slight outsider angle to everything I do. I try not to pay too close attention to my contemporaries, but I’m a huge, huge fan of TRNDY TRNDY and Shy Girl. I also like queer stuff in other genres, Orville Peck, for example, brings a much-needed queer storyline to the Hollywood cowboy narrative, the same goes for Blood Orange in the alternative R&B space. Lil Nas X using a demonic motif is purely serendipitous, as this song was ready to go before Montero dropped.
“…a lot of music that sexualizes men spends a lot of effort trying to make sure the straight male audience feels comfortable.”
EQ: You recently released your new single ‘Devil Boyz’ - congratulations! What was your creative process like with the track?
A: I found this cute little skull dog avatar in a public world, and I just thought “what kind of song would this dude sing?” I wanted to make something unashamedly, gratuitously horny, and proud the way a lot of mainstream hip-hop and pop is. I thought “This dude comes from the bowels of hell, he’s not afraid to brag about liking big schlongs having a tough guy lover who’ll assassinate anyone who gets in his way.” A lot of music that sexualizes men spends a lot of effort trying to make sure the straight male audience feels comfortable, and I thought “this little dude would not give a damn about straight boys feelings and would probably revel in any backlash.”
EQ:…and the accompanying video is immense! I feel like I was being transported (literally) into another world. Where did your interest of virtual reality (VR) stem from and why did you decide to integrate it into your music, because you’ve been working with animation for a few singles now but it’s a big jump from videos like ‘Imaginary Friend’?
A: I felt like since the song was born in VR, the visual should be as well. When I wear an avatar in VR and look in the mirror, I feel like a different creature / being entirely separate from my human form, and I write from that new character / persona’s perspective. There’s the added benefit of being able to create with my body, making the process of capturing footage for a music video much more serendipitous and improvisational, closer to that of live performance than animation. I’ve also been discovering a bit of plurality within myself, which is a lot of what the song is about. You can have a whole gang of friends in your brain if you want.
EQ: What’s next on the horizon for you? With summer on the way have you got anything lined up we should be looking out for?
I’m still trying to figure out just how deep this plot goes. I just invested in full body tracking, so I can move my legs and hips independently in VR, making the performance that much realistic. I want to play these characters and find new ones, and that’s gonna involve finding new avatars and voices, and streaming my creative process and performances in the virtual space. It’s like a place of endless opportunity where my corporeal body doesn’t need to get in the way of how I feel deep down.
Watch the visuals for ‘Devil Boyz’ below…
YouTube/ABSRDST
Stream ‘Devil Boyz’ HERE
Follow ABSRDST on socials:
Instagram: @absrdst
