B-Side Guys

Chicagoland quartet Naked Brunch constructs “Humanoid” as a fever dream about losing authentic human experience to algorithmic existence. Michael Hanna’s protagonist awakens from the dream of being human only to discover they’ve become something else entirely—a paranoid digital entity trapped between endless stimulation and profound emptiness.

The band’s eclectic influences—spanning Red Hot Chili Peppers’ funk-rock energy to Arctic Monkeys’ observational wit—create a sonic playground that matches their lyrical absurdism. Their approach treats modern anxiety as material for rock theater rather than earnest social commentary. Lines like “The Taj Mahal / In the palm of my hand / Left me bored, insecure” capture the paradox of infinite access breeding infinite dissatisfaction.

Hanna’s delivery shifts between conversational observation and howled desperation, particularly effective in the repeated “Down! Down! Down!” sections that feel like digital doom scrolling set to rhythm. The band’s groove-heavy foundation allows space for these theatrical moments without losing momentum, creating music that’s simultaneously danceable and deeply unsettling.

The song’s most powerful insight lies in its title character—neither fully human nor completely artificial, but something caught between states. The Humanoid’s paranoia about the future reflects contemporary reality where every day feels apocalyptic yet somehow routine. Naked Brunch avoids preaching about technology’s dangers by simply documenting the weird psychological spaces it creates.

“Humanoid” succeeds because it treats digital alienation as source material for rock spectacle rather than cause for mourning. The band understands that the most effective way to critique our algorithmic existence might be to embrace the absurdity, creating music that’s both symptom and antidote to the condition it describes.