Synopsis

Vandalaze's "So Real" is a visually strange, surreal accompaniment to a song about isolation, tension, and emotional disconnection. Rather than following a conventional narrative, the video works as an abstract collage of moods and possible forms, reflecting lyrics filled with dark rooms, feverish thoughts, stark contrasts, and a restless city. Its imagery mirrors the track's uneasy electronic pulse, turning the song's sense of unrequited malaise into an impressionistic audiovisual piece.

Factoids & Trivia

• "So Real" was released on April 13, 2014, through Sacramento-based label Slimetrax Recordings.

• The track appeared as the title song of a seven-track maxi single, catalog number STX001, which included four remixes and the additional track "Scrambled."

• Vandalaze is the project of Cory You, who composed, performed, and wrote the original song.

• The label presented the release as a preview of Vandalaze's debut full-length album, "Dreamorex," which was planned for release in June 2014.

• The video was made available through both YouTube and Vimeo, fitting the project's interest in unusual, self-contained visual work.

• The song's imagery and atmosphere were described by the label as a "rumination of unrequited malaise," a phrase that also captures its abstract lyrical language.

• The single's sound draws on electronic body music, industrial, synthpop, techno, and new beat. The label specifically cited Cabaret Voltaire, Shriekback, and Severed Heads as influences.

• The physical edition was limited to 100 glass-mastered CDs in slim clamshell cases. Each copy included a pin, sticker, and hand-drawn art piece.

• The remixes expanded the original track into techno, vocal dub house, aggrotech, and Belgian new beat territory.

• Contemporary coverage placed Vandalaze's sound between the experimental electronic traditions of Cabaret Voltaire and Severed Heads and a more polished, digitally strange pop sensibility.