Koda shares the Origins of his new single, “TEARGLASS”: Stream

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Origins is a new music feature which lets an artist reflect on the inspirations behind their latest track.

Jordan Sudak has lived a wild, often confusing, life. He grew up as an army brat following his parents around two three different countries by the time he was 15. He watched his family go from free-spirited travelers to born-again, Harry Potter-burning Protestants, to Atheists in an experimental family band. Sudak sang in that band alongside his mother and father, but for some reason pretended to be a cousin. It was understandably a lot of a young boy to take in, a lot of half-truths to keep up appearances. Perhaps ironically, Sudak came out of all the confusion with an extreme clarity for reality, something he channels into his latest track as Koda, “TEARGLASS”.

The song comes from his forthcoming debut mixtape under the Koda moniker, Same As It Ever Was, out October 26th. “‘TEARGLASS’ is about desperately and selfishly praying to unlearn inconvenient truths,” Sudak explains. “There’s a nagging guilt that comes with being alive and knowing all the horrors we are complicit In. ”

Musically, “TEARGLASS” is an arresting introduction to Koda’s experimental, alternative electronica. Layers of gossamer vocals weave together a ghostly tapestry over shifting, restrained beats. It’s hard not to hear some form of Thom Yorke in the pinched prettiness of his vocals and Radiohead’s spectral compositions in the instrumentation. But this is far from an imitation of that great rock band, with Sudak’s unique production decisions creating a sound that feels melodic and cool yet subtly foreboding. That suits lyrics like, “None of it makes a lick of sense/ We must listen to the earth” just fine.

Take a listen for yourself below.

For more insight into “TEARGLASS”, Koda has revealed some of the track’s Origins.

John Carpenter’s They Live:

The song is all about being a collaborator in a consumerist society — at the end of the day, I’m selling not only ideas and music but myself, particularly if I want to have any success. And so this was all about wishing that I either wasn’t aware of it or that it didn’t bother me. So I feel sort of like Frank in the film desperately wanting to reject what I already know to be the inconvenient truth.

Shaun Monson’s Earthlings:

“TEARGLASS” isn’t directly about animal welfare, but it’s one of the first things that got me on my “ignorance is bliss” pining. Animal agriculture is completely unconscionable whether you’re an active or passive participant — and if I’m not setting myself on fire because of how horrific it is, then I must just be pushing it to the back of my mind every minute of every day. That’s how so much of our existence is — like so what if you’re woke? It’s just passive acceptance.

Sticking your fingers in your ears:

Photo by Lachlan Hardy

We do this often — just being willfully ignorant. For the song that’s kind of what the backing la-la-la vocals on the chorus were, but in like a schoolyard bully mocking and knowing way. As if those same little assholes grew up to be investment bankers and they’re all standing at the top of the hill waving their hands with their fingers in their ears mocking us.

The gross son of a banking exec I met in Vegas:

I was lying down on the floor charging my phone at a hotel party as these two wealthy men had a conversation above me and one of them said, “You know how money is to guys like us — it’s just a scorecard.” I was taken aback because I had this idea in my head of what people like him were really like and having this weird candid stereotype affirmation scared me a bit. Maybe this really is a pervasive thought in those circles or maybe he was just projecting, it feels like a chilling thing for the powerful to admit.

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