Jade Moede‘s haunting single, Don’t Wanna Be Your Frankenstein, serves as a minimalist yet deeply evocative ode to identity, acceptance, and the complexities of love. Drawing from the original lore of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the song strips down its production to a raw, skeletal form, mirroring the existential bareness of the monster himself. The textured drums and acoustic guitar evoke the eerie simplicity of creation, and the layered vocals become a modern “lightning strike,” breathing life into a story that transcends the gothic to enter the universal.
This piece could be a spectral anthem for Rocky in a Rocky Horror Picture Show sequel – a solitary cry from a creature yearning for love and understanding while rejecting the role of a monstrous outcast. The track’s stripped-down soundscape is like Shelley’s raw prose: both unearth truths in their simplicity.
Lyrically, the song is a whirlwind of existential reckoning. Lines like “Don’t like thinking all we know, is all ain’t right” capture a profound disillusionment with the superficial judgments of love and identity. Moede’s metaphorical storytelling, where lightning strikes a heart of stone, doesn’t just revitalize a gothic trope but elevates it to a modern cry for authenticity and mutual understanding.
Jade Moede crafted this lightning-charged tale from a deeply personal and experimental space. Alexann Markus lent her expertise to the final mix, layering the track’s haunting vocals with precision. Mastering was performed by Jeff Lipton at Peerless Mastering, with Costanza Tinti assisting, ensuring every sonic nuance carried the weight of its narrative. Together, they sculpted a work that feels both intimate and electrifying.
Moede credits the raw, stripped-back styles of Tom Waits and the Violent Femmes as foundational influences. These artists’ ability to convey visceral emotion with minimal production shines through in Don’t Wanna Be Your Frankenstein. The song echoes their legacy while carving its unique path – a “stone heart” pulsating with authenticity.
The concept sprang from Moede’s need for an emotionally distinct track to anchor his album, Psycho Matic Bat Crazy. The song lay dormant for years, a rough sketch awaiting its own lightning strike of inspiration. It wasn’t until Moede revisited the piece in a reflective moment that its essence became clear: a call for love that doesn’t ask the other to compromise their soul.
In an unorthodox creative process, Moede’s kitchen became the birthplace of the track’s foundational rhythm. The tapping of guitar wood and stomping feet formed the skeletal framework, captured on a humble H2 Zoom recorder. Through digital alchemy, Moede manipulated the acoustic guitar with subharmonic effects, creating an otherworldly resonance akin to the hum of Frankenstein’s lab. This creative risk, combined with group vocals that echo communal longing, brings a theatrical yet deeply personal energy to the song.
Though it’s nestled as the fifth track on the Psycho Matic Bat Crazy album, Don’t Wanna Be Your Frankenstein emerges as a thematic cornerstone. Its haunting simplicity juxtaposes the album’s other tracks, elevating its message: love requires more than desire – it demands the courage to see beyond the surface.
The track’s raw, stripped-down essence and haunting vulnerability make it stand out not just as a song but as a philosophical reflection on the human condition. Jade Moede’s creation asks us to reconsider the roles we assign to ourselves and others in love and life. It reminds us that to truly love, we must first dismantle the myths we impose on each other. We have added the opus to our New Music Spotlight playlist, as well as our TRIPPY and TIMELESS playlists, whilst we continue to stream Jade’s growing discography.