Track By Tracks: Plastic Barricades - Self-Theories (2020)

1.Tunnel:

We’ve released this as a single in July alongside a weird music video shot with a digital microscope with up to 1000x magnification. We wondered how our anxieties would look under a microscope. This song gained an extra layer of meaning in 2020, that is for sure. But the conclusion is fairly simple: you cannot stop in the tunnel, you cannot turn back, you just have to carry on through and hope to see the light again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrvXb_g_vBo 

2. Optimist: 

Another single and another truly DIY music video to go with it featuring 8 houses, 8 cars, plenty of glassware, some benches and trees, a crowd of 300 cast members and around 20 buckets of water. The only song on the record in an odd time signature. Written with a smile on our faces. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHOLEtYj7oM 

3. Don’t Follow Me!: 

Here’s a deceptively bouncy track about how we are all pretending to know things to keep it all together, but in reality we are all lost and going through the same motions as humans. “I am standing on the edge, I’ll pay the cost”. This track was the easiest to mix for some unknown reason so the album version you hear was pretty much the very first mix version. 

4. Glaring Screens:

First track we’ve recorded for this album about two years ago. Went through several mix mutations, but we were always thinking what would Matthew Bellamy of Muse do with this when mixing. We kindly ask our listeners to stop staring at a screen while enjoying this tune.

5. Weightless: 

One of our favourites on this record, this song just has that big space and unstoppable vastness to it. Really enjoyed writing this, album mix is more or less an early version of the track with minimal edits and a lot of weird sounds and improvised parts. “We are reflections in the water, we will only exist until it gets dark…” 

6. Right to be Adored:

Here is a bit of satire for you, living in a world of likes and followers. Strange world, isn’t it? We tried to find a light approach to social media criticism this time.   

7. Game of Numbers:

It is funny how we as humans always try to control things and be the masterminds of our every day. That is generally a good thing, but sometimes you just have to let it sort itself out. This track has the funniest keyboard sound and the quirkiest backing vocals on the record. 

8. Spectators:

A true procrastinator’s hymn! There are so many distractions around us all the time – how do we even begin to focus?? “This song could have been much better, but I’ve got distracted by a letter”. We wanted to keep this track as free and sloppy as possible, so most parts are first takes. 

9. One For the Road:

We call this our “Ode to freedom of exploration” and it was released in the end of 2019, when travelling the world seemed like a very common thing to do. Then came 2020…. Music video for this track has some cool Super 8 footage from 1950s roadtrips across USA. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C54IrBXeFHM 

10. The Great Unknown:

Proved to be one of the trickiest to mix – we wanted this to retain the intimacy of the earlier demo. This is a romantic love song and a promise that no matter what happens I will be there for you. No mountain is too high and no ocean too deep when we are together. 

12. Everyone is Busy and Final Chance:

On the last stretch of the album mixing process we’ve decided to include two demos at the end of “Self-Theories”. These are both first takes and have no mixing whatsoever – just the raw studio recording with levels adjusted. As intimate as they come!