No products in the basket.
After closing the first act of her musical journey with last month’s cathartic BLAH, boundary-pushing alt-pop artist Au/Ra returns with a vengeance. Her new single, “CRACK!”, is a visceral anthem that tears through the emotional void of modern life, confronting digital addiction, performative existence, and the illusion of connection in a hyper-online world.
Written in Los Angeles during a period of personal darkness alongside K.Flay and producer Halo, “CRACK!” dives into the surreal, often numbing experience of being constantly connected yet deeply detached. The song is a raw, unfiltered look at life through the lens of depression, social media addiction, and the sedative lull of digital escapism.
“I wrote CRACK! When I was in a dark place,” Au/Ra explains. “It’s about using the online world as a metaphor for depression — feeling connected but disconnected, numb but still performing like everything’s fine. It reflects the strange normalcy of the digital life we’re in now, where everything feels pixelated and sedated, knowing it’s slowly draining you, and the want to break out of it. But escapism over facing reality always catches up with you.”
Musically, “CRACK!” is a bold leap into a glitchy, distorted sonic landscape, emotionally intense, yet melodically sharp. The chorus hits like a scream for freedom:
“I wanna punch the glass / I wanna kill the buzz / I wanna break the game / I wanna watch it crack.”
The track is paired with a striking visual directed by Andy Mihov, in which Au/Ra battles through fragmented digital “levels” — each symbolising identity breakdown, emotional numbness, and the suffocating grip of the Machine. As the video climaxes, she shatters the illusion, re-emerging in a new form: empowered and awake.
More than just a song, “CRACK!” signals the beginning of a bold new chapter in Au/Ra’s artistry — one that is immersive, conceptual, and psychologically rich. Every upcoming release will act as a narrative piece within a larger world she’s building — a journey into the self, through emotional wreckage, and toward healing and transformation.
In this new era, Au/Ra isn’t just making music; she’s crafting a full-sensory experience. “CRACK!” is the first crack in the surface, a powerful, introspective invitation to dive deeper and confront the parts of ourselves we usually try to ignore.
