WATCH: Practice Calls Out Society’s Obsession With Social Media In “I Don’t Need Love”
WATCH: Practice Calls Out Society’s Obsession With Social Media In “I Don’t Need Love”
The video comes one week before Practice’s debut album, ‘Not A Game’, is set to release.
Words By: Bre Offenberger
Maybe Practice does mean perfect. Michael Tapper — the man behind the indie electro pop project Practice — has released the music video for “I Don’t Need Love.” The single comes off his upcoming solo debut album, Not A Game — schedule to premiere February 19. Behind bass-heavy house music and distorted vocals, sarcasm and wittiness zip back and forth as Practice pokes fun at modern-day society — where attention online has become the equivalent of achieving ever-lasting fame.
“I Don’t Need Love” has the feel of a rave, which most people cooped up in their homes are missing more than ever, and the chronicle of society on a downward spiral. While people on social media often implore others to be who they are and show it, those same people tend to contradict themselves – shoving their unique identity to the side and posting whatever will gain them the most traction. Practice takes these roughly four minutes, combining bouncy drums, groovy bass and manipulated vocals, to show them how fake and desperate they are.
For the video, Tapper asked his friends to come over and dance, envisioning a video where he could edit himself in and make it look like they’re all together amidst the pandemic – safety first. The video opens with the lower halves and sides of dancers enlaced with patterned clothing except for Practice himself, who’s sporting a blinding white suit. Everyone is donning masks — which were all made by fellow musician Ada Roth, who appears in the video herself — as a nod to the ongoing pandemic.
Of the song, Practice shares, “The initial idea for the song came one night when a friend was talking about how she wasn’t on social media, and he said it would be funny for the chorus of a song to say, ‘I don’t need love,’ and then at the end of it say, ‘I just need Likes.’ She said I should write that song. So the next day, I did.”
Tapper has been dedicated to his solo project since 2013, and needless to say, Practice is not his first rodeo. As the former drummer behind indie fan-favorites such as We Are Scientists, Fool’s Gold, Yellow Ostrich and Bishop Allen, Tapper has never stuck with the same sound, and Practice is maintaining that streak. Tapper is the mastermind behind everything Practice’s listeners hear and see: songwriting, producing, arranging, recording, mixing, video-making [you name it, he’s probably doing it]. As fans gear up for Not A Game release on February 19, “I Don’t Need Love” is just a taste of what to expect from the project that is Practice.
