FAWM: "We've Become Disconnected"

We've Become Disconnected

23 hours ago by @betoMod · @beacon

Skirmish: The Anaphora List Song Ch... (@tarahenton)

We've Become Disconnected

beto +1

00:00

Liner Notes

@beto says: I've been wanting to a collab with Ken for ages, but for some reason it would never happen! This FAWM the stars aligned and we worked on this collab for @nadine's #inthestyleof challenge, where she challenged Ken to:
> how about something electronic / new wave? The 80s were full of great voices, and I wondered, how your voice would sound on something in the style of Talk Talk, Soft Cell or Ultravox?

I listened to some new wave before working on the music, but I'm not sure if I followed the prompt super well. At some point the song definitely took a life of its own, but I hope we pass the challenge!

@beacon says: Finally I've got a collab with Beto, and this was far more amazing than I thought. In coming up with the lyrics, I looked back at the skirmish that @tarahenton did on Anaphora and List songs, and you can sort of tell the subject matter from the lyrics. I can't help but to be a "glass half full" kind of guy.

I've never attempted to anything like 80's Synth Pop so thanks to @nadine for the push!

#80s #synthpop #electronic #newwave

Lyrics

Lyrics ©2025 Ken Mattsson/BeaconBeats Music
Music ©2025 Beto Dealmeida

[Verse 1]
I don’t know what’s become of this world
Other connections have now come unfurled

[Verse 2]
What if it’s the banks & funds
What if it’s the shots & guns
What if it’s the thoughts & prayers
What if it’s the moral tears
What if it’s the judging panel
What if it’s the Fox News Channel
What if it’s the hate & greed
What if it’s the social feed

[Chorus]
We’ve become disconnected
From our bodies and our minds
We’ve become disconnected
And we can’t see the signs

[Verse 3]
Fear - Mistrust
Hate - Combust
Cheat - Slander
Lies - No Bystander

[Verse 4]
We can talk and we can share
We can laugh and we can care
We can sing and we can dance
We can trust and take a chance

Help a neighbor, help a friend
Help until the troubles end
Help a father, help a mother
Help a sister, help a brother

[Chorus]
We’ve become disconnected
From our bodies and our minds
We’ve become disconnected
And we can’t see the signs

[Bridge]
We have the power
We have the power
We have the power
We have the power

[Chorus x2]
We’ve become disconnected
From our bodies and our minds
We’ve become disconnected
And we can’t see the signs

We’ve become disconnected
From our bodies and our minds
We’ve become disconnected
And we can’t see the signs

Comments

@bradbrubaker 7m

That chorus is straight outta Gary Numan! I like the texture of synth guitar(?) over the cleaner synth.

@nancyrostMod 2h

This reminds me of something specific that I can't quite place. Anyway, the lyrics are spot-on, and I love that they don't stay in that dystopian space. The synths are a great combination of eerie and poppy, and the open harmonies really send it over the edge for me.

@dasbinky 14h

Super cool! I'm getting hella Devo vibes.

Perfect synth tones, and really dig the motion in the vocal melodies. Much fun!

@steelch1268 15h

Oh man..... I'm having flashbacks, and I need to see this on MTV when I get back from school this afternoon! This is an excellent message, and the genre provides a perfect tableau/arrangement to make the point. I absolutely love it!

@liz561 18h

I have an urge to puff up my hair and put on a jacket with big shoulders! The music really sells this beyond the lyrics. Good collab!!

@coolparadisoMod 20h

Well played! This is great! I would never have picked Ken’s voice for this style! It’s so obviously Ken but also sounds spot on the genre! The music is right on the money! A real catchy number! Kudos!

@nadine 23h

So happy my prompt made your stars align 😊 You definitely got the 80s down in the music and lyrics, both. Oh yes, they had many repetitions back then, so the anaphora skirmish seems to be a good way to start. I also spot a bit of social commentary on the topic. The chorus is sooooo catchy, just wondering why I hear myself singing "we become disconnected" under the shower. Mission completed, both of you!

@stephenwordsmith 23h

This is a kicking rad song and I loved listening to it. The cadence in the even-numbered verses is amazing. Both lyricist and composer tackle some varied line styles with aplomb. I'm no new wave connoisseur, but this sounds authentic to me, with only a few subtle anachronisms (fox news channel, the worn-out-to-the-point-of-irony mantra of 'thoughts and prayers'...) letting us know that it's a modern homage. You deal with a difficult and ever present subject with even-handedness and lyricality. This is a kicking rad song and I loved listening to it.

@katestantonsings 23h

I love that it’s in the style of Nadine ❤️vocals are so lovely 😊 production is so fun and catchy!! Great work you guys!!!

@carleybaer 23h

I love this! It's a chair-bopper. Ken it's so fun hearing you stretch into these new genres, and Beto the music is so perfectly retro. Glad the stars finally aligned for you two, it was definitely worth the wait!

@tcelliott 23h

This is amazing. Just the right amount of 80's. The enunciation/phrasing is a perfect call back. I like that it's a sort of combination of 80's styles but works completely all on its own while sounding more modern. It wears its influences well. This is a very good collaboration.

@billwhite51 23h

if i like the chorus more than the rest of it, the reason is that the music on the chorus is the kind of music i liked most from this period. im not so enamoured of the robotic jerkiness of the devo crowd. beto's music is so wild it cannot be contained in any faddish rage.