“Stop moaning, you’re so privileged...let go of your bloody victim role! Look around, you’re not the only one!”
It is with these words—landing like a glass of cold water on your face, no less—that Swiss Art Pop songstress Kate Birch kicks off the eclectic, untamed melange of 'Think About', her latest single. As audacious as this statement might appear, if you’re actually following what’s going on around the world, it’s a rather reasonable response. Because the truth is, to be aware of your privileges is to recognize your agency and the resources at your disposal, which you could, if you so choose, apply to making this place a pinch better for us all.
The song begins with tightly coiled percussion that evokes a sunny place teeming with life. It’s as if you were transported to a bustling, chaotic street somewhere, or a marketplace where you are but a single drop in an ocean of humans. With the second movement, which more than just hints at the forward propulsion of drum and bass, drum programming and all, you are suddenly airborne! You are now experiencing the world through the eyes of a bird darting over this man-made chaos. The change is so smooth, natural, but far from logical; yet, it works. And not only that, it elicits something ecstatic, liberating. It gives you wings! And as the percussion comes back into focus, the tension starts to mount again – you feel yet another crescendo coming, and that’s when the song just stops mid-phrase! It’s as if Kate is driving her point home: it’s on you to take all this energy out into the world now and make some good use of it. Otherwise, why bother?
