Earlier this month Philadelphia-based artist Barney Cortez released "New Age Nightmare," the first single from his upcoming LP "Hullabaloo." With a vocal timbre and rock-fueled aesthetic that might remind you of a cross between Lou Reed and Weezer, this anthemic track is both evocative and striking. Riding on adrenaline and unease, "New Age Nightmare" is Cortez's response to a particular symptom of social interaction today.

When everybody around you is all lovey dovey, like, ‘oh isn’t life great,’ and you fuckin feel like you’re a million miles away and you’re not on that trip at all. It’s a modern paranoia. Alienation is what [New Age Nightmare] is about. — Barney Cortez

"Hullabaloo" is the work of a poet writing rock music about living through 2020. "New Age Nightmare" offers a meticulously produced example of unabashed pop jumbled with elements of psych rock, 60s folk, and grunge. Cortez now presents listeners with his largest scale musical vision yet, and proves that it was worth the wait. Written as a response to the turmoil and confusion of a post-Covid era, this hard-hitting protest piece stands as an open question about the true meaning of music in the grand scheme of modern life. Cortez explores the concept of absurdity as it pertains to the phenomenon of social interaction. When a society becomes irrational, only the insane will remain reasonable.

With his latest track "New Age Nightmare," Barney Cortez reminds us that we have suddenly entered a new phase of human existence: it's a nightmare, and you're in it.

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