Feature: SUUNCAAT Decodes “Pillz”
What was the creative process like for this particular song?
The song pretty much vomited itself into existence. Like, the actual songwriting—vocal melodies, lyrics, themes—was instant. I write an embarrassing number of songs every month (think: hundreds), but they start out as these dumb little skeletons that sound like garbage until I Frankenstein them into something cool. The ones that make the cut go through this full-blown manic production spiral: weeks of chaos, destroying everything multiple times, and trying the weirdest shit imaginable just so it doesn’t sound like another hyper-pop song cloned in a lab.
Can you share any interesting or unique musical elements or production techniques used in “Pillz?”
Oh, the DRUMS. There are, like, an ungodly number of drum layers stacked in this track. I have this cursed habit of throwing full drum samples on top of each other to make this confusing goop. I’m 90% sure there’s a reggae loop buried in the chorus somewhere—don’t ask why, it’s just there.
How do you feel “Pillz” represents your artistic identity?
It’s unhinged, and that’s kind of my whole deal? I operate on this feral contrarian energy where I just do the opposite of whatever’s trendy or normal. If everyone’s too scared to break something, I’m sprinting at it with a hammer. That kind of chaos freaks people out, but then they call it "authentic," slap a label on it, and start wearing it like it’s their personality. And that’s exactly what “Pillz” is trolling.
Can you tell us more about you as an artist?
I started producing on Reason as a certified emo gremlin in the early 2000s. I’ve always been obsessed with pop music. Not just how it sounds but the way it worms into your brain and takes over—like witchcraft, but with Auto-Tune.
I learned the guitar and had a whole punk rock band phase, which was fun but I work better alone. I’m not built for compromise. My ideas are too weird and too specific, and I’d rather wrestle a MIDI controller at 3 a.m. alone than explain to someone why we need a random car crash sound in the chorus.
For me, music is just a chaotic, stupid game, and It’s also both my therapy and my language. Every song is a level, every lyric is an Easter egg, and the end goal is just having the most fun while confusing as many people as possible.
Where do you find inspiration for your songs or musical ideas?
Honestly? My trash fire of a brain. My songs come from angsty, intrusive thoughts that I twist into these dark little jokes. And since I’m chronically online, I’m constantly doomscrolling and absorbing the weirdest data possible. Somehow, all that chaos gets compressed in my brain into ideas I can use. It’s like turning meme soup into something kind of beautiful... but also cursed.
