I’ve put off writing about “Human Sadness” for so long because I can’t express what it does in words. When I first got hooked, the track evoked personal memories of loss, obsession, and anger. It was with me during the hardest times in my life, and it is still with me. It inspired and continues to inspire my visual art and past class assignments. It lets me reflect and mourn. It feels like home – it feels like my own. It’s like The Voidz took a piece of my heart, brain, and soul, put my thoughts into lyrics and sound, autotuned it, and brought it into existence.
The Voidz is an experimental indie rock band formed in 2013 by the front-man of The Strokes, Julian Casablancas. “Human Sadness” is a single off their first album, Tyranny, released in 2014. The record is weird, dark, noisy, and aggressive. It’s the one album that I always come back to for comfort.
When I first listened to “Human Sadness,” I was turned off by how self-indulgent and long-winded it is. The 11-minute track is angsty, philosophical, and a little pretentious. I wasn’t used to hearing so the combination of heavy autotune, noisy, abrasive synths, and wailing electric guitars. The song is like a psychedelic, underwater, video game-y fever dream. Don’t let this stop you from listening, though. A second listen and peek at the music video definitely changed my mind.
Once my ears adjusted to the distorted vocals, sound effects, and layers of noise, I heard the beauty in it. It is chaotic and almost messy, yet controlled and intentional. The song is grounded by the strong bassline and the ii-V-I-vi chord progression, which is one of the most effective and popular progressions across many genres of music.The Voidz also sampled the strings from Mozart’s Requiem in D Minor, which may evoke a feeling of nostalgia if you’re familiar with classical music.
The distorted and strained vocals create a sense of pain and also make it difficult to make out the lyrics. You may simply find them angsty and self-indulgent, and though I would have to agree to some extent, they are incredibly poetic and emotional. I enjoy raw, authentic, uncensored art. Lyrics like “Now I hear echoes of my old self / This is not the way to be / All at once, I lost my way,” broadly encompass themes of confusion, suffering, and human existence.
The chorus repeated throughout “Human Sadness” comes from a quote from 13th-century Persian poet and Sufi mystic, Rumi. In a distorted falsetto voice, Casablancas sings, “Beyond all ideas of right and wrong, there is a field / I will be meeting you there.” This line communicates the universal propensity to judge and label things as good and bad and the human need to explain suffering or joy. The repetition of this lyric is another grounding element and a hopeful message amidst the chaotic noise.
The intro begins with an eerie piano, and Casablancas whispering “Put money in my hand, and I will do the things you want me to.” Cue the sampled strings prominent bassline.
The climax of Human Sadness comes about 4 minutes into the track, where the only instruments audible are Casablancas’ voice and a distorted organ-like synth. “He wanted it more than me, I suppose / I was in a rush to wait in a line / Now I hear echoes of my old self / This is not the way to be / All at once, I lost my way.”
Following this peaceful break, chaos ensues. The layers of instruments explode: gritty, abrasive synths and electric guitar, video game-esque sound effects, and distorted vocals, which are grounded by the drumbeat. Once the vocals drop out, the guitar solo provides a clear melody which balances very nicely with the drums here. It’s a little easier to listen here – it’s clearer, catchier, and more predictable. Less experimental, more rock.
The track slows down again for another verse, transitions back to the chorus, and slows again for the outro, with the lyrics “Understanding is more important than love / If not, money will always trump justice / All is lost, I’ll find my way / So I say to be is not to be, to be is not the way to be.”
If you aren’t moved by the lyrics, instrumentation, or overall tone, the music video further illustrates the theme of universal suffering, collective memory, and the human condition. The video includes stock footage of riots, poverty, war, and deadly natural hazards along with imagery of prostitution, domestic abuse, addiction, death, forgiveness, love, and romance.
Before watching the music video, I encourage you to listen to the track on its own. Listen with your own ears, your own experience, and your own suffering and joy.
The Voidz have re-stocked some of their merch this week on the Cult Records Store.
turntable ruminations 
thank you for this. Such an accurate break down of the song and my feelings. I grew up listening to classical music so the sample from Mozart’s requiem coupled with that baseline instantly drew me in but I also felt it was overly indulgent and messy at times until I kept listening to it over and over because that baseline with Mozart is like crack for me. It took weeks but I came to realize that this is one of the deepest, edgiest, most creative and beautiful songs I’ve ever heard. An epic masterpiece really which I now place above my favorite Stokes song, Not The Same Anymore. Karaoke’ing this song in my office is my happy place. Of course I have an extensive vinyl collection, McIntosh components and a high end PA system in my office to indulge myself. Not fucking around. Lol
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