Brooklyn’s dream pop duo, The Dream Eaters, has come out with their new single, “Program Me, I’m A Machine,” a song that can feel like a glitch in time, both nostalgic and prophetic in equal measure, and at once eerily relevant to the times. With Elizabeth LeBaron’s hauntingly detached yet phrase vocals floating over Jake Zavracky’s hypnotic production, the song flirts with the fine line between devotion and submission, asking whether there’s ever such a thing as genuine autonomy in a world where control is king.
At first listen, “Program Me, I’m A Machine” sounds like a love song robed in mechanical metaphors. But scratch the surface, and a richer story emerges, one that speaks to the ancient struggle against societal programming, and especially how it has historically tried to control women’s bodies and choices. It feels like it’s in the past, future, and present, encapsulating the disconcerting deja vu reality of history repeating itself.
Its production reflects this duality, mixing retro-futuristic synth textures with a mechanical, metronomic pulse. The melodies hover like transmissions from an alternate realm, and LeBaron’s delivery, twined with deadpan humor and a melancholy sensibility, draws the listener into a surreal dialogue about control. The result is a sound that’s simultaneously familiar and alien, soothing and unsettling, a paradox that The Dream Eaters confidently traverse.
With its hypnotic funk and interrogative lyricism, “Program Me, I’m A Machine” is a statement, and a song. It urges the listener to reflect on the forces that shape their own life and ask themselves if they have power or have just internalized the message we do.
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