Exclusive Premiere: Rainburn are Satirical and Sincere (and Costumed) in “Outrage-Seeking Generation Z Brain” Video

Bengaluru progressive rock band Rainburn enter a new sonic domain with the release of “Outrage-Seeking Generation Z Brain,” the first single and music video from their upcoming second album Vignettes.

Now a trio, the band add a pop culture shine to their whacky, satirical yet sincere selves in the music video directed by Pranwat Singh – dressing up as basketball players, Heath Ledger’s Joker, law enforcement authorities and more. Vocalist, composer and guitarist Vats Iyengar – who is seen playing bass in the video and has recorded bass on the album – says, “We hadn’t made a music video in a while, so it seemed like the right time to do this.”

By road-testing songs over the last two years, they found a tie between the upcoming album tracks “Listen Through The Noise” and “Outrage-Seeking Generation Z Brain” in terms of picking a lead single off Vignettes. The video was filmed within a day, with Iyengar calling the costumes and shoot a “nice” experience, plus makeup by artist (and guitarist) Nishitha Uthappa.

Thematically, there’s no points for guessing who is the target for Rainburn’s takedown on “Outrage-Seeking Generation Z Brain.” Composed by Iyengar with guitarist-vocalist Saakallya Biswas and featuring lyrics by Iyengar, there’s a defiance against cancel culture and self-appointed social media lynch mobs, with the music video also adding an element of how one’s on-screen presence and persona often does all the talking. Iyengar says about the song’s themes, “’Outrage’ laments the death of centrism, especially in online discussions where only the loudest, angriest and most provocative opinions stand out while nuance and balance are often buried. I think a lot of people these days equate centrism with fence-sitting, which is very unfortunate. The Internet is proliferated with humans who profess to be experts on every single trending topic for the 15 minutes that it usually occupies the zeitgeist before everyone collectively moves on to the next hot topic.”

Sonically, Iyengar describes the song as “Tool meets Bon Jovi” but puts the expression in quotes himself. While acknowledging drummer Neilroy Miranda’s work behind the kit can remind listeners of the American prog heavyweights, Iyengar points to the “very anthemic, almost arena rock-ish” chorus, which helped them pick the song as the first single.

Vignettes – which follows up their 2018 album Insignify – is also woven together by a concept, but described by Iyengar as a “collection of observations on the urban milieu over the course of a hypothetical day.” From their last album cycle up to now, a lot has changed, including Rainburn’s lineup, but Iyengar finds comfort in the change. Even when it comes to streaming and promotion, he says, “Who was it who said the more things change, the more they stay the same? I don’t think the bigger picture has changed much at all – streaming still dominates the way music is consumed, music-making for most independent artists is still an expensive hobby, and singles are still the way to go.”

To that end, there are more singles like “Party People” with a lyric video and possibly for “Woofs, Purrs and Moos.” Iyengar adds, “The concepts behind both are very exciting; I’m hoping they come to fruition. We’ll most likely do a short India tour in early spring next year but what I’d really like to do at some point next year is play in U.K. and Europe where as you know, we’ve gotten reasonable attention in the past. Inshallah, 2024 is when it finally happens.”  

Watch the video for “Outrage-Seeking Generation Z Brain” below. Pre-order ‘Vignettes’ here.