Australian art-punks NOCON have just released their second single, HOAX, and it’s got my attention. It’s the new project from These New South Whales lead singer Jamie Timony (aka MOSSY), as well as Jake O’Brien. Trying to pick through the different sounds/genres that have inspired the track seems like a fruitless exercise. Just sit back and enjoy the show.

The track feels like it could have been pulled from a ‘last days on Earth’ montage that you’d see on a TV show. While it might sound happy, there’s an underlying sadness. It’s mellow, and it’s melancholy. Both Jamie and Jake share vocal duties, and the track continues to evolve as it plays out.

There’s a haunting, ominous bassline, and while the track is supposedly influenced by cloud rap and 808 drums, I think that’s just one part of what makes up this song. Looking past the actual sonic components of the track, it’s tantamount to the band holding a mirror up to society. The sounds used in HOAX convey this idea that ignorance is bliss, but it really isn’t. Eventually, things will catch up to you.

Every piece of media that I’ve consumed so far this year has come with the caveat of uncertainty, and HOAX is no different. The band recorded HOAX during the strictest stage of coronavirus restrictions, and I think that’s an important point to note. It wouldn’t surprise me if there’s more optimism and hope in the band’s next release. I can’t help but feel a sense of dread when I listen to HOAX.

Speaking about the track, the band says, "HOAX is about being spoon-fed fallacies your entire life from every angle imaginable—being lied to, misled and manipulated into a trance.” It’s a feeling that’s becoming increasingly relatable. Large sections of the media, at least the easily accessible sections, are complicit in creating/propagating pure fantasies about the world around us.

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Check out HOAX below, and really listen to the lyrics. I think NOCON have a lot more to say about the current state of the world, and it’s important to listen. It’s more ‘relaxed’ than their last single AGAG, which was very Death Grips-esque. Where AGAG felt like the band grappling with the situations of 2020, HOAX feels somewhat resigned to the realities of what’s happening everywhere. The band wants you to “see through all the shit”, so it’s time to take a good, hard look at what’s going on around us.