Singapore’s Subsonic Eye has always thrived in the in-between—nestling themselves between shoegaze’s swirling guitars and indie rock’s sharp, melodic urgency. Their 2023 EP, Being Productive, distills this balance into three tight tracks, each a vignette of digital-age exhaustion. Clocking in at just under 12 minutes, it’s a fleeting but potent dose of the band’s signature introspection, wrapped in lush, reverb-soaked textures.
Produced with the same warmth as their previous work but with a sharper lyrical focus, Being Productive feels like a late-night scroll through existential dread—equal parts comforting and unsettling.
Let’s review this EP track by track.
1. Being Productive”
The title track kicks off with a jangly guitar line that wouldn’t feel out of place on an Alvvays record, but Subsonic Eye quickly makes it their own. Nur Wahidah’s voice—soft yet insistent—floats over a rhythm section that pulses like a racing mind. “I’ve been running in circles, trying to keep up,” she sighs, capturing the Sisyphean grind of self-optimization culture.
What could’ve been another indie rock anthem about burnout instead becomes something more nuanced. The chorus doesn’t explode so much as it unfolds, guitars layering like waves of fatigue. It’s a song about the guilt of not doing enough, delivered with the kind of sonic richness that makes inertia feel almost luxurious.
2. “My iPhone Screen”
If “Being Productive” is about the pressure to move, “My iPhone Screen” is about the paralysis of standing still. A slow, hypnotic bassline anchors the track as Wahidah murmurs, “Staring at my iPhone screen, nothing feels real.” The lyrics are sparse but devastating—a quiet indictment of how technology hollows out presence.
Musically, it’s the EP’s most subdued moment, but also its most haunting. The guitars shimmer like screen glare, and when the bridge finally swells, it’s not with catharsis but with resignation. A perfect soundtrack for doomscrolling.
3. “…aku cemas”
The EP’s closing track—sung entirely in Malay—is its emotional core. “…aku cemas” (translated: “…I’m anxious”) strips back the layers, opening with a lone, tentative guitar. Wahidah’s voice is closer here, almost whispering, as she confesses, “I’m afraid I’ll disappear.”
Then, just as the weight of the lyrics threatens to suffocate, the band surges in—not with a roar, but with a sigh. The instrumentation swells like a panic attack cresting, then recedes, leaving only a fading echo. It’s a masterclass in tension and release, proving that Subsonic Eye doesn’t need volume to convey depth.
Why it Works
Being Productive thrives on restraint. Where other bands might drown these themes in noise or irony, Subsonic Eye lets them breathe. The production is crisp but never sterile, with just enough gauzy texture to evoke the fog of distraction.
Lyrically, Wahidah avoids clichés, opting for specificity over generality. She’s not just singing about anxiety—she’s singing about her anxiety, and that makes all the difference.
This isn’t an EP that demands attention. It’s one that earns it, revealing its depths with each listen. For fans of dream-pop melancholia (think Slowdive meets Snail Mail), Being Productive is a small but mighty addition to Subsonic Eye’s growing discography.
In a world that never stops moving, Subsonic Eye makes music for the moments when you can’t.
Rome is a freelance writer and photographer. He brings a fresh perspective to the indie music scene and highlights emerging artists and underground movements. His writing style is drawn from personal experiences and a deep love for the art form.