Insta by Neodym comes with a shock of that sort that makes you freeze in the middle of the dance, as you suddenly realise that the song is waiting at the mirror of you: your scrolling, your philtres, the mini-performance that we are all involved in unconsciously. It is cultural criticism covered in club ecstasy, stinging enough to hurt but catchy enough to get you right back into the music. It is quite an accomplishment of the Polish artist, who is now residing in Germany, to create something that can serve as both a social commentary and a decent anthem on the dancefloor.
The production is alive. It thumps, shines, and develops, fusing EDM, pop, and deep house until the entire song is burning with late-night vigour. The beat has its inexorable drive that makes your body move before your mind even notices what is going on and the songs stick in your head long after the song is over- the echo of a night you are not really ready to leave yet. All this, however, was interspersed with a clean and powerful and clear vocal of Neodym delivering on her message without losing the danceability of the track itself.
The only difference that makes INSTA unique is that it is candid about the conflict between authenticity and performance. Neodym does not flinch when it comes to the social media turning into a platform, how the white Mercedes, gold rings, and sculpted bodies are shining like props under idealised lighting. Her tone is like a fine line between observation and honest reflection, she does not mock, but neither does she smooth out the absurdity.
Her show at the Launch Dallas Festival, in collaboration with co-producer Sven Kuhlmann, sparked with live electricity energy that can be hoped to be still fluttering through the recording. The polish is not taken off, but you can feel its beat. No wonder the song has been applauded as being light, but meaningful. It will get you thinking, never taking a step backward.
Neodym has proved to be more than an impressive voice with airplay in sixty radio stations and stages across Germany to Japan. "INSTA" shows her as a cultural observer, who is not afraid to see the bright and dark sides of our digital world. Being the first single of her new album, Neo-Dance, it seems to be the beginning of a new confident chapter, when the message and rhythm are moving in the same direction.
