Who is Heartdestroyer? A rather eclectic artist who finds themselves “terminally online” as an almost permanent denizen of the internet; an experienced audio engineer (and musical experience designer) dancing between online personas and various genres in a quest to be consistently creative; and, of course, the creator/producer of “Hello Kitty Bitches,” the latest unrelenting single defining their persistently connected existence. Is “Hello Kitty Bitches” an honest anthem of life on the internet, complete with video game sound effects and vocals recorded through a gaming headset? Let’s talk about it:
Can Heartdestroyer be categorized, labeled, stuffed into a genre and therefore safely consumed?
Kind of, but not really. Heartdestroyer mentions hexD, hyperpop, chiptune, house, and EDM as potential genres, and those influences/leanings are certainly there. But ultimately, “Hello Kitty Bitches” is its own frantic digital catharsis.
Right from the beginning, “Hello Kitty Bitches” is chaos – it’s gaming headset distortion as Heartdestroyer connects, and then a male robotic voice over a heavy, non-stop electronic beat. Underneath, some melodic video game soundtrack moments; perhaps some character boops and beeps while effectively hurdling mushrooms.
As Heartdestroyer presents the humorous (but true) realities of living in the pervasive digital realm, the song continues its attack with artificial percussion, in-game melodies, and the occasional – and digitized – female response.
And the ending? It’s a classic video game explosion – something pulled from Atari’s Missile Command, or another game from the first wave of in-home gaming consoles. And then, a familiar “game over” ditty (in case the explosion failed in signaling the end).
But is it good?
The internet is here to enact consistent, maybe too persistent communication, and consistent, maybe too persistent comparisons. It’s for gaming, dancing, dating, ordering food, and finding those who align with your outlook. The internet – harbinger of zero-effort, instantaneous global connection – is all these things, but it’s loneliness; a need to be constantly present and perfect; an unrelenting wave of attention-seeking content that offers little insight, but a regular stream of unfulfilling depression.
And like the internet, “Hello Kitty Bitches” is an expression of all those terrible and wonderful things happening instantaneously – a digitally indigenous anthem for those who can no longer take it, but can’t get enough. Recommended.
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BELOW: Listen to Hello Kitty Bitches and check out Heartdestroyer on Apple Music, Spotify, and SoundCloud. Please support Heartdestroyer by visiting them online and playing, downloading, and/or purchasing their music. And, as always, thank you for supporting real music.
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