With more than 35 years of experience as a producer, composer, and sound engineer, Todd Underwood knows exactly how to stage handmade music. However, his new single "The New Normal", which serves as a powerful opener for his album "Not Enough – The New Normal", is far more than just a craft-solid piece of rock music. The US multi-instrumentalist uses the track for a profound, almost existential confrontation with the modern music landscape. Stylistically, the piece moves in a dynamic intersection of math rock, emo, and energetic pop-punk, carried by a dense, punchy production that audibly reflects Underwood's decades of studio experience.
Musically, the song captivates with a precise interplay of intricate guitar runs and a driving rhythm section. The intro surprises with a delicate, almost mathematical-sounding riff before the arrangement erupts into an explosive, melodic rock anthem. This sonic dynamic is also reflected in the visual concept of the cover. The artwork shows an empty, upright glass on a reflective surface, surrounded by cool, almost sterile shades of gray. It symbolises an inner emptiness and the question of what remains when the essential is stripped away – a visual metaphor that harmonises perfectly with the song's thematic direction.
In terms of content, "The New Normal" is vehemently directed against the increasing displacement of human creativity by artificial intelligence. Underwood does not lead a theoretical debate here, but describes technological development as a direct attack on artistic identity. The opening question "What makes me me?" already places the human individual at the center of events. When the lyrics later describe how the soul is transferred into a machine ("...put it in a machine"), the musician paints a dark picture of a technology that not only copies personal experiences and emotions, but completely replaces them. The recurring line "Getting us all used to the new normal" acts as an urgent warning against a creeping societal acceptance of this development.
In the end, there is a highly emotional protest that gains enormous urgency through the explosive guitar work and passionate vocals. Underwood does not condemn technology across the board, but instead challenges the listener to rethink the value of human creativity. "The New Normal" is thus a stirring, musically sophisticated statement that raises the question of whether speed and efficiency can ever replace the soul of true art.
