See How On Digital Overload, Escapism And Finding Warmth Inside ‘Amusing Ourselves To Death’
- Undrtone Blog
- Jun 11
- 4 min read
See How’s music sits in an interesting space. On the surface, records like new single ‘Kick It’ feel immediate and uplifting, built around warm synth work, chopped vocals and the sort of momentum that naturally pulls people towards a dancefloor. Spend a little more time with it though and there is usually something else sitting underneath.
That tension runs throughout his forthcoming debut album, ‘Amusing Ourselves To Death’, arriving in September. Across nine tracks, the project explores themes of digital overload, modern belief systems and the ways technology increasingly shapes everyday life, but it does so without becoming heavy-handed or losing sight of the emotional release that dance music can offer.
The contrast between new single ‘Kick It’ and previous release ‘My Religion’ illustrates that perfectly. While ‘My Religion’ leaned into more introspective territory, ‘Kick It’ feels brighter and more direct, something See How says was important when thinking about the wider shape of the album.
“Yeah that was super important,” he explains. “‘Amusing Ourselves To Death’ is full of light and shade, joy and despair, and when planning out the singles I wanted to take listeners on a journey that reflected that. Some tracks are more immediate, others are more introspective, but all of it comes from the same place.”
The album itself is rooted in observations around distraction, technology and the increasingly blurred line between escape and dependency. For See How, those ideas were impossible to ignore.
“There’s a lot going wrong in the world right now,” he says. “Electronic music has long been a tool for escapism, but when the world is on fire, dance music can take on this weird nihilistic edge.”
Rather than creating music that simply ignores what happens outside club walls, he wanted to confront those feelings directly.
“The thing that gets me is the way we’re encouraged to zone out and self-regulate by using apps literally designed for addiction,” he explains. “Of course everyone needs an escape, but when that escape becomes monetised, addictive and divisive, then I think that’s a problem.”
What stops the project becoming weighed down by those themes is the way he approaches them sonically. ‘Kick It’ in particular carries a strong emotional warmth through its vocal textures and nostalgic details.
“I’ve always loved those kinds of innocent, childish textures and voices in my productions,” he says. “When it’s paired with the themes of the album, it gives it a real counterpoint and poignancy.”
There is an interesting contradiction at work throughout the project too. While comparisons to artists such as Jamie xx, Joy Anonymous and Barry Can't Swim make sense sonically, there is a more reflective quality beneath the movement and groove.
“To be honest, I’m not sure I’m able to do anything else,” he laughs. “My productions always lean commercial, but I can’t help pouring some deeper anxieties and meaning into them.”
Rather than fighting against that, he has started embracing it.
“If people hear ‘Kick It’ and like it because it sounds summery, perfect. If they dig a little deeper and start thinking about screen addiction, algorithms or the way technology shapes our lives, then great.”
That idea of “interrupting the loop” sits at the centre of how he describes the single. Even if music cannot fix the wider systems surrounding technology and distraction, he still believes it can create small moments of interruption.
“On the surface of it, no,” he says when asked if dance music can genuinely pull people away from modern routines. “The music industry, big tech and media are all set up to monetise distraction.”
But there is still value in asking questions.
“I don’t want my creativity to be in service of the status quo,” he says. “So I make accessible-sounding music that questions things and interrupts the loop, however briefly.”
Interestingly, ‘Kick It’ itself clocks in at under three minutes, which feels unusual for electronic music built around club energy. But for See How, shorter structures have always felt natural.
“I can’t help but make short pop structured tracks. It’s just in my DNA,” he says. “The album itself was made more for headphones, for listening at home or going about your day. The longer mix I’d leave for a live show.”
There is also an awareness that technology itself is not the enemy. Throughout the album, many of the same tools being questioned also became part of the creative process.
“I used AI to separate sample stems and I used Instagram to sample vocals,” he explains. “The whole album is infused with technology in order to critique that same technology.”
That contradiction feels central to the project itself. Rather than offering answers, ‘Amusing Ourselves To Death’ seems more interested in opening conversations.
“It’s not as simple as saying it’s all bad,” he says. “It’s more about posing the question, what kind of world do we want to build?”
And when listeners eventually reach the final moments of the album later this year, there is one feeling he hopes stays with them after everything fades out.
“Warmth,” he says. “The themes might be heavy, but the music is mostly euphoric, and I think there’s a cathartic release to that.”
