cafuné confronts the reality of a digital world with new single and music video “e-asphyxiation”
The American alt-pop duo Cafuné, made up of musicians Noah Yoo and Sedona Schat, have released the single “e-Asphyxiation” off their upcoming album, Bite Reality. If you’re unaware of Cafuné, you may recognize their 3x Platinum song “Tek it” which went viral on Tiktok and was sampled in Lil Uzi Vert’s song “Red Moon.” With this online success, it’s unsurprising that Bite Reality finds the band questioning our current cultural moment where AI and social media encompass our lives.
“e-Asphyxiation” is an expression of how exhausting social media can be, especially once fame is factored in. The lyrics describe the frustrations of our modern generation, where you have to display a certain persona online all the time. It’s definitely relatable for anyone who’s spent a little too long hovering over the post button on Instagram. You can see this in the chorus of the song:
I’m tied down too tight, by all these
Phone screen obligations, e-Asphyxiation
I can’t close my eyes with all these
Phone screen obligations, e-Asphyxiation
The music video’s focus is split, choosing to focus on both Noah Yoo and Sedona Schat performing the song simply, and hazier outlines of the musicians. The camera flashes back and forth between this more authentic performance and a foggy, distorted reality of Yoo and Schat. Cafuné’s music video is a reflection of this split persona that social media demands. And as the video comes to an end, we’ve lost the two musicians to that hazy reality.
If “e-Asphyxiation” is anything to go by, Bite Reality might signal a different sound for Cafuné. While the song still fits the band’s alt-pop genre, there’s something more raw from the production side. More drums, more guitar, more straight vocals. We’ll have to wait for the rest of the album to see if it follows this pattern, but based on the lead single alone, this grit might be here to stay.
CHECK OUT THE VIDEO HERE.
Bite Reality releases via Soundon on September 12. If you want to see more of Cafuné, the band recently announced upcoming dates for their North American Tour Alive Online.
UPCOMING TOUR DATES
September 19 – Washington, DC – The Atlantis*
September 20 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore – The Foundry*
September 22 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall*
September 23 – Montréal, QC – Bar Le Ritz PDB*
September 24 – Toronto, ON – The Great Hall*
September 26 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall*
September 27 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon*
September 30 – Denver, CO – Globe Hall*
October 2 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge*
October 5 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios*
October 6 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile – Madame Lou’s*
October 8 – San Francisco, CA – Bimbo’s 365 Club*
October 10 – Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom*
October 12 – Phoenix, AZ – The Rebel Lounge*
October 14 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues Dallas – Cambridge Room*
October 15 – Austin, TX – The Parish*
October 17 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade – Hell*
October 18 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle – Backroom*
October 22 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg*
*with support from crushed
All tour dates here