Cope with the numbness in Adam RC’s “Novocaine”

Thanks to the last couple years, we all know the monotony lockdown can induce. Adam RC channels that repetition and explores how numbness became a coping mechanism to get through it in his latest track, “Novocaine”.

Repetition is at the heart of this track—structure, lyrics, editing, drums, and more. And while the theme is monotony, it’s not monotonous. Lines like “same shit, different day; different shit, same day” play into the inversion of reality that repetition evokes.

Even the harmonic progression breaks the pattern from time to time by literally stopping. There are music pauses where the drums carry on, leaving us in a state of stasis, a literal reprieve by numbing the flow of the track.

Adam bakes a guitar and piano stab routine into the harmony, leaving us feeling “stuck in this wheel” even when excitement peaks. It’s like the hope that spurs from a COVID lull only to fall back into routine by continued work-from-home life. Every potential point of excitement is artistically dulled.

So, take a moment for shared empathy because, as Adam knows, “this isn’t really living.”

Stream “Novocaine” below.

Ben McCoy

Ben is an advertising Madman who spends his days with words and music. When he’s not writing for his supper, he’s eating it at some of NYC’s most interesting restaurants.