Pyra is taking the Thai government to task with "paper promises," the lead politically charged single off her new EP, fkn bad Pt. 1, out today. "Sick of the lies every night, a dark agenda," the self-declared "Thai pop warrior" sings, calling out the questionable ways her home country has handled the COVID-19 pandemic.
"'paper promises' explores my tiredness towards humans and the meaningless killings driven by greed," Pyra says, criticizing the "hugely corrupted" vaccine logistics with thousands of new COVID cases popping up daily. "It represents my bewilderment witnessing how morals and ethics can vanish when put up against big money."
While the track was written in 2019, its meaning has taken new depth in the wake of coronavirus. "The track is a look into how easy it is to trample upon others for personal gain, particularly among politicians and authoritative figures," she continues. "Promises are fragile like thin sheets of paper — and that thin sheet of paper is money."
The "paper promises" music video, which Pyra self-directed and shot on her phone under Bangkok lockdown, plays out like a bleak video game as she mindlessly follows a trail of money until it's "game over." As she outlines in the YouTube description, it's "not the usual fancy getup" you'd expect from her videos, but it's all she could do "in the present dystopia."
Elsewhere on fkn bad Pt. 1, which spans six tracks, Pyra doubles down on her sociopolitical approach to making pop. On its opener "bangkok," she champions Thailand's activists and on EP closer "suicide spirits," Pyra opens up about her battles with depression. "yellow fever" tackles stereotypes against Asian women and "plastic world" addresses consumerism.
So watch the PAPER premiere of "paper promises," above, as we collectively prepare for the apocalypse — at least we'll all be dancing.
Photos courtesy of Pyra
From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web