At the very heart of The One Empty Toybox lies a rare and beautiful philosophy, a fierce dedication to true friendship and the construction of warm, welcoming, safe creative spaces that invite us all in to dream together. They are a band that refuses to box themselves in, treating their entire creative process as a living, breathing improvisation where they surrender entirely to the magic of the moment and whatever inspiration the universe decides to hand them. On July 31st, they gifted us their scorching, fiercely brilliant new track, “Cyberstalking,” and if you know anything about the sheer, untamed brilliance of this band, you already know we need to pull up a chair, press play, and talk about the absolute masterpiece they’ve just unleashed upon us.
This song takes you by the hand almost right away, with an introductory part leading into a mesmerizing vocal performance that immediately takes all your attention for itself. This song starts as something incredibly captivating; once it gets to this point, you have no choice but to be drawn in. If you have any doubts about the abilities of this band, then this opening will remove them completely for you, because this is the band’s equivalent to a neon light saying “give up and just listen.”
The advent of the modern technological age gave birth to another side of the same coin: the internet has turned into an ocean of infinite knowledge on one hand and a shadow zone for digital predators and cyber threats on the other. At this point, we witness the start of another epoch: that of artificial intelligence. The combination of deep fakes, synthetic identities, and algorithmic delusions raises serious questions regarding how much trust we can place in the online world these days. Introducing The One Empty Toybox, a band that had the courage and talent to confront our fears of the digital world through the prism of art. With their new song “Cyberstalking,” released on July 31st, The One Empty Toybox decided to give us a piece of their mind on the subject that touches almost everyone these days: technology-enabled stalking and technology-facilitated abuse. Can it be called humor? Tragedy? A modern-day Romeo and Juliet of the smartphone age? Well, probably it is all that mixed in an addictive cocktail. In a very characteristic way, the band managed to create an unusually playful and catchy composition about such a serious issue. But the real value of this record lies in the fact that The One Empty Toybox does not make music simply because they have talent; they do it because they care. One hundred percent of all the profit made from the song “Cyberstalking” will be donated to Stop Stalking Us. This is what can happen when art becomes more than entertainment. The One Empty Toybox has proven that yet again.
It takes decades for a magic to grow and evolve, and in the case of The One Empty Toybox, this magic has been developing since 1995. With Rob Dreyer and Nicholas “Nick” Viltrakis entering the studio, the two artists enter the realm of telepathy and the brotherhood of art they created during the last three decades. They are a creative machine full of unreleased recordings from the past and an infinite amount of new magic emerging from their solo career and collaborations. “Cyberstalking” is an exemplary piece that demonstrates how this legendary collaboration operates. Starting with a hypnotic and textured instrumental foundation, Dreyer and Viltrakis add vocals and blistering lead guitars to make this composition even more electrifying and multi-dimensional. As Rob Dreyer states with the enthusiasm of a little boy, “I love how the vocals dance around the instrumentation. The vocals were extremely fun to record, and my guitar work was on fire during the recording session. I would love to learn about your favorite parts of the song!” To hear such excitement from an artist who does not lose passion towards his creation even after all these decades sounds like a dream come true for the fans. And the answer to this artist’s wish is the following: I can name one thing that makes this song a masterpiece – a dialogue of vocals and the guitar. Indeed, the vocals that flutter and weave through the composition like a phantom shadow make this track outstanding. But when the guitar catches fire and executes lines that seem at the same time completely spontaneous and incredibly complex, it takes this whole track to the next level. In other words, “Cyberstalking” is yet another gem of an institution called The One Empty Toybox where friendship, improvisation, and the love of sound reign.
Fundamentally, “Cyberstalking” demonstrates how wonderful and impactful good music can be. This song not only gives you something to dance to but also dares to face the ugly, scary parts of modern technology square on and take them on even further by using their success to effect change through donating to Stop Stalking Us. In general, the music industry, or indeed, the world, needs more groups like The One Empty Toybox, who possess the passion, consciousness, and willingness to push boundaries creatively. It’s not just about making music, but also about creating a community based on friendship and fearlessness. I am always excited to see what kind of incredible music they come up with next.
Stream “Cyberstalking” on Spotify
Follow One Empty Toybox here and their socials: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Bandcamp, YouTube
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