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Photo: Jacob Weber

Past, present, future—the three become indistinguishable in Mobley’s latest daring vision, “stay volk.” From the Cotton Club-inspired visuals of yesteryear, the performative politics and numbing socio-political institutions of today, to the unknown, apocalyptic future that may be lurking in wait, the Austin, Texas-based auteur leverages each to its fullest, resulting in a sonic and visual statement that is as impactful as it is pertinent. 

While the song itself explores themes relating to false democracies and the exhaustive process of masking, its delivery is anything but dour. The message of “stay volk” is carried loud and clear by Mobley’s looming, infectious delivery, which is buoyed by earworm production and transfixing flights of vintage and electrifying instrumentation. The effect is a sonic revelation that finds the perfect balance between its weighty themes and widespread appeal. 

“‘stay volk’ is a song about the ways people perform identities imposed on them by society and how draining that performance can be. The title is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the oft-appropriated colloquialism ‘stay woke’ and the idea of Herrenvolk democracy.” He continues, “For the video, I wanted to explore the lyrical theme while also keeping sight of how fun and danceable the music is. In crafting the choreography and the visuals, I wanted to merge mid-century aesthetics (inspired by Cab Calloway and Golden-age movie musicals) with a sci-fi, post-apocalyptic setting. All of it ties back into the larger story I’m telling with my forthcoming EP Cry Havoc!.”

Cry Havoc! is a narrative-driven project told from the perspective of Jacob Creedmoor, an everyman who is radicalized throughout the course of the EP. In many ways, the story of Creedmoor mirrors not just Mobley’s journey over the past five or six years but the journey of a population who has been left feeling increasingly disenfranchised battling institutions that are systemically rigged against them. 

Watch the “stay volk” video below: