Imaginary Girlfriend go looking for the ghost on “Feed the Machine”

Somewhere in Italy, two faceless producers have been quietly rewiring their sound, and “Feed the Machine” is what came out the other side. The electronic duo Imaginary Girlfriend have returned with a track that drifts in like smoke through a basement sound system, slow and hazy, but carrying far more weight than its unhurried tempo suggests.

It’s only their second release since a long break from making music, and it’s a clear signal that the time away wasn’t wasted. Fans who know the pair for their drum and bass, EDM and IDM leanings will find the BPM dialled right down here. In its place is a chilled downtempo groove soaked in an almost psychedelic dub atmosphere, all deep space and slow-release bass. Their trademark vocal cuts and sharp editing are still very much present, chopped and scattered across the mix like fragments of a half-remembered conversation, but they now serve something more reflective.

That reflection runs through the lyrics, which wrestle with philosophy and the slippery question of selfhood. The title alone tips a hat to the duo’s reading list. The band name-check Gilbert Ryle, the philosopher who coined the phrase “the ghost in the machine”, and Arthur Koestler, who borrowed it for one of his most famous books. It’s a fitting reference point for a song that’s as interested in what drives us as it is in what moves our feet.

“We wanted to push ourselves towards new horizons, and write a song that, while it still maintains our electronic roots, could showcase how our sound has evolved through the years,” the duo explain. “The lyrics are meant as a critique of demagogy and the often violent mob mentality it brings to the masses. Literature has always been a huge part of our lives and we wanted to combine it with our love for music.”

There’s something neat about a track that critiques the pull of the crowd coming from a band that has never shown their faces. Imaginary Girlfriend have built their reputation on punchy remixes, catchy vocal edits and striking cover artwork, while deliberately keeping themselves out of the frame. The idea is simple: listen to the music and the message, not the people behind it. On “Feed the Machine”, that message comes through loud and clear, even at a whisper.

“Feed the Machine” is out now on all major streaming platforms, and available to buy on Imaginary Girlfriend’s Bandcamp.

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