Dead Broke Confront Modern Chaos on Dizzying, Cathartic Rock Anthem, “Hypernormal”
Toronto rock band Dead Broke return with “Hypernormal,” a blistering, clear-eyed indictment of modern life where everything is reactive, monetized, and endlessly overwhelming. Anchored by jagged guitars, volatile dynamics, and a seething, desert-rock pulse, the track captures what it feels like to live in a world of nonstop disruption: doomscrolling through microdoses of trauma while losing any sense of what’s real.
“We’re living in a minute-by-minute basis of disruption,” says lead vocalist Michael Bright. “We swipe through nonsense online while real life atrocities are happening at home and abroad, and no one feels empowered to do anything about it. We are living in a state of the Hypernormal.”
A continuation of themes the band have explored over the past decade, “Hypernormal” sharpens Dead Broke’s longstanding lens on social division, disconnection, and the slow erosion of public good.
“Things haven’t gotten better – they’ve gotten worse,” Bright adds.
The song’s writing process, fittingly, mirrors a shift in the band’s creative approach. What began as a demo sketched by Mike and Evan Saunders became a catalyst for a more collaborative era.
“This song signaled the start of a new songwriting process and collaborative approach,” says guitarist Zack Carlan, who tracked his early ideas during the 2020 lockdown. “We started sharing our demo recording sessions, building off of them, and suddenly we had a whole batch of ripping new Dead Broke tracks.”
By 2025, Dead Broke have embraced a more tech-forward workflow – a far cry from what drummer Liam Farrell jokingly called their “1970s” method of writing all together in a room.
“By April, we had five or six new songs,” Bright says. “By July we were tracking in the studio. It was an encouraging change. There’s an urgency, and it’s exciting.”
Stylistically, the band pushed for heavy, room-filling guitars while preserving clarity and punch.
“The dynamic shifts make this song unique,” Carlan explains. “The distorted, compressed, megaphone-esque sections split the airy, melodic verses from the heavy hitting choruses. The end feels like bashing your head against the wall, in the best way possible!”