The guitarist and songwriter Mal Blum would rather watch reruns of The Jersey Shore and stay in bed all day if it means escaping the realities of the outside world. In "Reality TV," the world's a big scary place for Blum and, as we see in the new video for the song, putting yourself out there can be tough, so much that "getting out of bed is an accomplishment." We see the artist accompanied by backdrops of reimagined reality shows and a cast of makeup artists, a person in a bear costume and a panel of very unamused judges. In an email to NPR Music, Blum writes that "The song itself makes reference to pop culture, but is about emotional escapism, mental health and attempting to distract your brain from racing thoughts, depression and the outside world with media."
Amongst all of this commotion, Blum expels their deepest fears, albeit in a super relatable and very self depreciating way. It's music for #sadpeople crafted like something meant to be listened to in the car with the volume cranked at full blast. The song is full of catchy, pop-punk power chords which, when met with Blum's tell-all lyricism, is something that you'll never ever be able to get out of your head. To quote Blum: "I'm Curious! I'm a Scientist! But you think that I'm depressed."
"Reality TV" comes from Mal Blum's album You Look A lot Like Me, out now on Don Giovanni Records.
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