Yot Club has set sail in the digital world with his latest single. The solo project of Mississippi-born and Brooklyn-based musician Ryan Kaiser, who garnered buzz with previous singles such as “YKWIM?”, releases “Pixel” today (January 31), a surprise to fans following his last solo release way back in May.
“Pixel” opens with persistent, light percussion, before an equally airy synth line kicks in that weaves throughout the track. The sound is light, even inviting, clearly built for bopping. But the cleverness of “Pixel” is how quickly it goes from happy-go-lucky to frantic; as soon as Kaiser comes in, singing lines like “I’m only a pixel in this world” and “this technology makes me so aware of how small I am,” it’s clear the song is not a jaunt in the park, but a frenetic attempt to find a digital footing in an increasingly Matrix-esque online landscape.
“[‘Pixel’ is] about getting caught up in your own life and technology in relation to self-importance and how you see yourself,” Kaiser writes. “It’s never been harder to appreciate your own circumstances than it is today because you can play the comparison game. It’s a complicated dynamic: The people whose lives look the best can often suck, ’cos why else would they go to such efforts to make it look like their lives are great!”
To accompany the release, Yot Club also shares a music video that, like the track, is equal parts artistic and frantic. Against a backdrop of various New York City scenes, Yot Club and friends are in constant motion, sometimes of their own accord, other times through a wide pan or impactful zoom.
Alongside the single and music video, Yot Club also announced that his second full-length record, Rufus, is slated to drop on March 29 via Amuse — a big news day to round out the first month of what will likely be a big and exciting year for the indie-pop darling. Get into “Pixel” below.
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