The abandoned warehouses of East Los Angeles served as a night-time sky. Six musicians combined, bound by one vision: to break boundaries and make something extraordinary. This collective would be known later on as Masha and the Fam—a group chasing a daring new soundscape from their underground rehearsal space, an old refrigerator factory.
The members of Masha and the Fam, best known for their indie alt-rock roots, had a creative fit to bust out of genre confines. Holed up in their subterranean studio, they began to fuse elements of swing, funk, jazz, and global folk into a sound all their own. Long jam sessions morphed simple melodies into cinematic journeys; that dingy basement had become a world of musical possibility.
Years and hours of collaboration later, they come to you with their fresh single, “When the World Disappears.” “When the World Disappears” is a song of solitude and connection. The single is inspired by Michael Collins’ story, the pilot of Apollo 11. Collins is famously considered the “loneliest man in the world,” orbiting the moon as his crewmates Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin did their moonwalk. The moody tone reflects his journey and the isolation that comes from being the only human in an immense and empty space.
But “When the World Disappears” is not just a song about loneliness; it’s also about all those unseen threads that tie us to every creature on earth. The melody of the song has this old swing feel with a touch of jazz, singing with an otherworldly presence. The piano is the instrument par excellence: its melody weaves the web of sound in dizziness, keeping your ears on the lookout. It is the use of vintage instruments and just a touch of reverb that creates this sense of depth and atmosphere, drawing an audience into a world of cosmic wonder and introspective reflection.
Masha and the Fam’s new single “When the World Disappears” promises to keep the tradition alive of interstellar songwriting. Shimmering piano, jazz-infused guitar, and emotive vocals reverberate in the image of a moonside watering hole where weary travelers meet in search of solace.
“When the World Disappears” lingered in my mind; I was exhilarated by another world while listening. All of that complex layering of instruments and the picture of an endless night sky painted before me left me amazed. I can understand now why performances by this collective are dubbed sensory experiences, which challenge our conventional definition of music. The music touched a chord in me in a way not many have been able to do so till now. I’d like to encourage every single reader to go listen to “When the World Disappears” immediately on your favorite platform.