Setting the tone with an astral synthscape, descending melodies, and cerebral beep tones with immersive frequencies, birthdayboy open Tamagotchi with a sonic design that is representative of the concept of the track, and the poignant lyrics, “I’m sorry, I left you starving, and you’re dead now, like my eight grade Tamagotchi…”
The opus expands with hyperpop, experimental nuance to take us on a relatable and philosophical journey with a high emotional quotient. Speaking on the message of the song, birthdayboy tell us, “Tamagotchi is about toxic relationships, built primarily on this addiction to others, even though they are bad to us and vice-versa, treating people who love us badly because they don’t leave and really just needing a healthy connection to ourselves and those around us.”
We appreciate the neuroplasticity enhancing sound design, and learn that birthdayboy comprises of Alyssa Rodriguez, who is the lead writer, vocalist and bassist and two mysterious co-creators. Alyssa confesses, “I have two band mates who remain anonymous on our socials and in our shows by wearing ski masks to cover their identities.”
Alyssa continues, “It’s part of the back story of birthdayboy, that I actually don’t have any friends so I made up two imaginary ones to play music with and tell my stories. They are real people though and their names are Marc and Ellie.”
Elaborating on their body of work, the trio tell us, “We are as independent and as experimental as we can possibly be with our music.” The creators cite Dominic Fike, Halsey, Billie Eillish, Gus Dapperton, Remi Wolf, and 100 gecs as influences, although there is no doubt that birthdayboy are manifesting a universe of their own. We can only imagine how invigorating it must be to experience birthdayboy in a live setting!
The meditative conclusion of the track with an intimate acoustic guitar presence is sublime, and we have added Tamagotchi to our New Music Spotlight playlist and our brand new TRIPPY playlist, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of birthdayboy, including their debut and sophomore singles, Salting Slugs, and Black Water.