Dot, Mary Ann Alexander & Kambli recently dropped their single – 10 kmh which describes moments of mental sluggishness that probably go against every creative instinct in an artist’s body. Earlier this month, Oxford Dictionary also announced ‘brain rot’ as the Word of the Year for 2024, which is defined as the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging – similar to the theme of Dot’s song, 10 kmh which talks about mental sluggishness.
Dot. put up an interesting video about the song and how apt it is in today’s era, especially with even Oxford Dictionary announcing brain rot as the word of the year, talking about mental sluggishness that everyone faces. In the video, she says, “Brain rot describes a mental state where overconsumption of low-quality content, often on social media, leads to mental stagnation. Almost as if you were stuck in traffic, not moving faster than 10 kilometres per hour. That’s why my friends and I wrote a song called 10kmh. The chorus is interesting. So, growing up, in school in Delhi, there was this big running track. Every morning our teachers made us run around the track four or five times - it was really hard. In the winter though, a thick fog would cover the track, so we found we could just cut across the fog and our teachers wouldn’t notice we didn’t complete the rounds. In 10kmh though, we reflect how, sometimes, it’s impossible to cut across the fog. We just have to deal with that sluggish state of being, and plough through life until things get better.”
In today’s world where we’re so consumed by monotonous trends and content across social platforms, this feeling has become a significant challenge for artistes and people alike. Such times require only a moment of reflection, take a step back, pause and take a break if need be.
‘10kmh’ is out now, streaming on all major audio platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, Gaana, Saavn, Deezer, Wynk and YouTube Music, among others.
