Cyberattack is an NYC glitch-rock band led by singer/songwriter/guitarist Ivan Anderson. The retro synth-pop collective has earned success with the highest praise by various media sources. We love their positivity and chemistry that speaks to you through the speakers.
“I Know the Feeling” is a light-hearted and flowing track with charmingly lo-fi vocals and pummeling guitar mixed with electronic elements for a refreshing new twist in the pop music scene. Cyberattack debuts their music video for “I Know the Feeling” and we’re blown away. The psychedelic feel-good track blends flawlessly with the witty and charismatic music video. The lyricism in this song focuses on finally feeling real love. The music video for “I Know the Feeling” features everything from quirky dance moves, deliberate outtakes, Tropicana orange juice, and retro video games and action figures. We love the overall easy-going attitude that Cyberattack gives off and we can’t wait to see what they deliver next!
“The video, which was directed by John Marty, also serves as an unofficial capstone to the band’s #tppojla social media campaign, conceived by singer/songwriter/guitarist Ivan Anderson as a tribute to his favorite drink, Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice Low Acid. “People misunderstand this all the time,” Anderson says. “But I just really love that orange juice, and so I post about it a lot, and people think it’s funny. It’s not really a joke though. If anything, I think the color and taste of orange juice is very close to the vibe of Cyberattack—bright, in your face, major-key, etc.” As a result the orange juice is featured heavily throughout the video, in increasingly bizarre ways.”
Cyberattack
Check out “I Know the Feeling” here and the bizarre new music video below!
Keep scrolling for our exclusive interview with Cyberattack.
What was the overall theme you wanted to get across with this video?
It's only 2 minutes long, and my hope is that by the end you feel like you know me. The whole thing is a visual summary of my personality: the posters I had on my wall as a teenager, the toys I played with as a kid, the fact that I'm from New Jersey, my obsession with the Terminator and drinking orange juice. The video just zooms in on all those things, at hyper speed, and by the end it's like "OK, now you know."
What inspired this song?
A bunch of years ago I heard somebody say, "I know the feeling," and I just thought it sounded like a song title. This is how I come up with most of my ideas, I'll recognize some phrase as being title-ish, and then I try to turn it into song. I had this one phrase written down in a bunch of notebooks, and I could sort of tell what the lyrics would be about—"I don't really get it, but I understand the feeling," a love song like that—and it took me ages to find chords and melodies that felt like they would fit. It was years. But then I came up with a cute little chord progression, it seemed right for this, and I made it work.
How did you get started in music? How old were you when you realized it was your passion?
When I was really little, my dad played me some Jimi Hendrix music, and I was fixated. There was no turning back. I took piano lessons in elementary school, and I learned how to read music and stuff like that, but I didn't really feel connected to it. Then I started taking guitar lessons at 12, and that's when it started coming together.
From an artists standpoint, what do you think is the most visually appealing part in your music video for “I Know the Feeling”?
In David Lee Roth's autobiography, which I am obsessed with, he says that he wore sunglasses while he did the color correction for his music videos in the 80s, and that's why they all have that super colorful, over-saturated look—he wanted to see them through his sunglasses. That specifically was a major influence on this video. I wanted to have a version of that, like a totally unrealistic brightness. It reminds me of going to a supermarket and being completely mesmerized by all the colors they use to sell junk food—just insanely bright fruit snacks and popsicles and whatever else. Maybe this is because I'm from the suburbs, but there's a part of me that associates supermarkets and convenience stores with paradise. I don't really believe that, but it's a feeling that creeps in sometimes.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
No surprise, my favorite band of all time is Van Halen, specifically the original David Lee Roth years. That music rules my life on multiple levels: the guitar playing is hardcore, the songs are totally song-y and irresistible, and everything was super bright and beautiful. Plus I think it's cool that they were a hard rock band that used major keys so much. Other influences that are maybe more apparent are the Buzzcocks, for a very specific approach to singing uptempo songs about heartbreak and angst, and Melt Banana. I talk a big game about how Cyberattack is glitchy and weird, but when I listen to Melt Banana it makes what I do feel like a Disney movie.
What’s next for you?
I have another music video coming soon, for "Sure Thing," the other Cyberattack single that's currently out. That one is inspired by weird/bad 3-D graphics, like Nintendo 64 games as they're being destroyed. I'm excited to release that, and then put out the rest of Hard Feelings, the full-length debut record from Cyberattack
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