A ghostly pink figure stalks this page. She goes by ‘Plasmic’ and instead of rattling chains behind her, she carries a keytar from which her haunting melodies spring forth to meet the relentless thumping neo-tribal rhythms backing up her anthem of unrequited queer love.
‘Plasmic’ is the sole brainchild and stage name of Orange County-born artist Lauren Lusardi whose overtly pink semblance, fierce vocals, and gutsy lyrics she so eloquently encapsulates under the title of “your abused Barbie doll from childhood”. Plasmic is almost entirely self-taught, producing, writing, and engineering every bit of her electro/synth-pop madness in-house. Plasmic’s sound and presentation are highly emotive, evoking tenderness and turmoil in almost equal measure, and it is all dressed in an avant-garde glamour giving off an aura of Fuschia that cries out to the universe as a proclamation of power, joy, and pain alike.
If all of the vibrancy and plasticity of Pop could be distilled into a liquid, it would be no doubt of a hot burning pink hue, and if there was a musician brave enough to dunk themselves in this warm distillation, they would come out looking like this bubblegum genie, proclaiming the coming of new musical unorthodoxies at the hand of those that came before, during the neon reign of the synth-ified 80s. Such is the charge of her newest track “Ghosted You”, a thoroughly present and modern lyrical work that is nonetheless in direct line of succession for the DEVO throne.
“Ghosted You” is described as ” an unrequited queer love song highlighting the sides of being ghosted and ghosting someone.” One of the track’s greatest strengths is in how its central theme can be approached from many different angles. Is “Ghosting” in this context a form of abuse? is it a form of avoiding unwanted advances from someone who you’ve quickly realized is not good at all for you? All of these questions are left open-ended as is the audience’s interpretation. “Ghosting” can even be taken as a manifestation of a person’s inability to put their fears and anxieties behind them and take a very reasonable risk with someone that could very well prove to be a net gain for them. All of this and more can be derived often from Plasmic’s thoughtful and raw songwriting, making “Ghosted You” a brilliant introduction for newcomers to her astounding pink soundscapes.
Story: Samuel Aponte Photos: Courtesy of the artist
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