Dark tones run rife in ‘Black Mirror’, the latest single from glam rock outfit Sisters Doll. Aptly a synonym for our reliance on technology and social media, and the manipulation, the trepidation, that comes from a generation constantly glued to “black mirrors”. The single is a little darker and a little edgier than what we’ve heard from Sisters Doll in the past, but it still sticks to their traditional melodic sound.
This is the first song that Sisters Doll have penned as a band, so what really stands out is, particularly given the themes of the song, how even they have been affected as a collective, technologically and musically. “When we started this band Austin and Bryce were a bit younger, so they were still growing as musicians,” says Brennan Mileto of his brothers and bandmates. “I think now, we’re all growing and getting better on the music side of things so everyone has more of a voice, and yeah, a lot of it is to do with the [effect of] social media side of things as well.”
Sisters Doll 2.0 is a lot to do with mutual experience as well as determination. “The thing with social media as well, it connects us with people but disconnects us, too,” says Mileto. This means that ‘Black Mirror’ is a bittersweet song for Sisters Doll. “It’s not like we’re saying we hate social media, we hate the technology in the world as it is now, but you see things differently now. Everyone’s on their phones.
“You go out to dinner, a husband and wife are sat at a table having a coffee but they’re both on their phones – everyone’s the most vulnerable when they’re looking in their black mirror. It definitely disconnects from those around us.
“For good or bad, I reckon the black mirror has taken control and is letting a lot of us lose our souls in a way.”
Indeed – we’ve never been closer, and never been further apart. Disconnected is a brilliant word, to sum up the phenomenon of technology and social media, but with some live shows coming up to launch the single, Sisters Doll are hoping their performances will be an opportunity for people to live in the moment without them having to dictate that people look up from their screens. “It’s such a big thing at the moment, you can’t stop it,” says Mileto, “but it’s also good PR for us.
“There’s nothing worse when you’re doing a show and everyone’s on their phones and disconnected, but if they’re filming the show so they can go back to a moment to relive it, that’s amazing.
“It’s more so when you see people at the back of the room and they’re not engaged, that’s when it hurts a bit, and we’ll try and cut that out if we can.”
When & Where: The Barwon Club, Geelong – May 31. Tickets on sale now from www.sistersdollband.com
Written by Anna Rose
