‘A TED Talk on the internet’ - META by Pearly Gates

Featured on BBC Introducing North East, META by Pearly Gates is a song every young person needs to hear. 

Released as a ‘TED talk on the internet’, Tom Hunt describes META as a commentary on how in a world full of ‘endless’ content and discourse, people are left ‘overstimulated’ and ‘detached.’ The song is intentionally overproduced in its aim to convey this message and successful in doing so. 

Amongst it’s stripped back and glitchy electronic sound, META points to an issue that society is aware of but seemingly ignores – our over-reliance on technology. I have not heard lyricism so blatantly poignant in a while. Whilst other artists may want to dress their words in flowery metaphors, Pearly Gates identifies what we actually experience on a daily basis and channels it through raw lyricism. We see our friend’s texts but don’t reply, and we feel socially inept but are always being tapped into the latest online conversation. Hearing these observations within music is incredibly refreshing. 

I’m always fascinated by songs that pair solemn lyrics with an upbeat melody, and META pulls this juxtaposition off perfectly. The song makes use of synth percussion and stylistic vocal chops to ultimately crescendo into a beat drop you’d hear on the electro floor of a nightclub. The melody also switches between relaxed and chaotic. These moments remind me of how our attachments to our phones cause such wavering dopamine. Pearly Gates points to this in the song’s lyrics asking ‘is it normal to be this overwhelmed?’. It makes me question how phones are so small yet can contain our entire lives within them. META’s production pleasantly reminds me of new Harry Styles, Robyn, and The 1975. Pearly Gates’ vocals are calm and muted and fit in perfectly, as though trying to provide some solace in the chaotic landscape that is modern life. 

Whilst utilising his signature sounds, META also expands on Pearly Gates’ discography with its subject matter. Its production is reminiscent of past songs like Hadley but takes experimental leaps (such as in the vocal production) that prove it to be a fantastic evolution of the Pearly Gates’ sound. 

META is a song makes you want to dance but also think about the ways in which we interact with technology and with each other. It makes me curious to see where Pearly Gates will go next, whether social commentary dressed in electro dance beats will become his signature sound. If you’re looking for a new electronic artist to get behind, Pearly Gates is the one.

Article By Emilie Shaw