Øphelia (2021-2022)
Emerging from anxieties birthed during a global pandemic, Øphelia debuts a blend of ecstatic lows and depressive bliss with her first super-single, “New Confusion / Softer.” There is no room for love when keeping a social distance. There is no need for caring when the world is intent on destroying your humanity. All that is left is to succumb to the present apocalypse while sobbing, alone, on the dance floor.
Embrace the isolation. Embrace the pain. Submit to Her gaze and allow The End to envelope you.
For most of us, 2020 was a hell of a year. For the entirety of the pandemic, I was lucky to be able to continue working from home after a decade of self-employment, but quickly yearned for projects to fill my time aside from the creative work I already had on my plate. It became nearly impossible to connect with the members of my metal band at the time, so in an effort to fill that time, learn something new, and find a way to creatively connect with friends from a distance, I started to learn the extensive power of Logic Pro X, and apply the knowledge toward creating a pandemic-inspired synth pop duo, with my friend, Sophia. We share excitement of both pop music and of the playfully macabre, so it seemed like a natural fit of our shared sensibilities. The byproduct of months in isolation is the catalyst of our very own music genre:
Plague Pop
Our music was produced entirely in Logic, from initial composition to interstitial soundesign, mixing, and mastering. I produced all the music using Xfer’s Serum and Plogue’s Chipsounds soft synths, as well as Logic’s 808 drum kit running through the DAW. Øphelia’s vocals were recorded via a Snowball USB microphone in Sophia’s car to avoid the concern of isolated neighbor’s sheltering in place.
To accompany the exploration of the Plague Pop-themed duo, we designed costumes that incorporated pandemic aesthetics, complete with custom face masks to round out our ghastly appearance. Once dressed and photoraphy direction was given, drawing from our additional inspiration of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Øphelia submerged herself beneath one of San Luis Obipo’s hidden waterfalls, completing the iconic scene from the historic work, floating away with a handful of flowers.
After designing a logo, cover art, and branding for the release, Øphelia’s debut was a double single, a conceptual track combining our initial tracks, New Confusion and Softer. Our followup EP is currently in production, featuring a deranged cover of The Stooges’ I Wanna Be Your Dog.
“This is the very ecstasy of love.”
Vocals, Lyrics, Øphelia: Sophia Swartzbaugh
Photography: Rich Fusillo