"Soma" by Aubrey T

 

Soma - Aubrey Talines

 

The Strokes’ “Soma” is the inspiration behind this piece. I remember asking when this project was introduced, if it would be possible to use a song instead of a literary work, as I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to make my project about a song by this band. The images drawn in my piece are essentially what comes to mind whenever I listen to this song; Soma is a prescription drug intended to relax muscles, represented by the pill drawn, with one half being inspired by the album that this song is off of, Is This It. The other images are of Powder/Jinx from Arcane, and while there isn’t a specific character to this song, I feel like she can definitely embody the lyrics that I used, as, after being abandoned, she was forced to seek refuge through other means, changing her view on life and the people around her. This piece is a mixed media of various materials that I figured would go along with the piece. I knew that I wanted it to be less “polished”, as “Soma” and the other songs from that album were intentionally produced to be “gritty” and not “too clean”, which I wanted to reflect. Some of the materials that I had used are a canvas pad (which for many years I had failed to find use for), washable markers, cardboard, and the bottom of a Trader Joe's bag. The song itself is rather energetic and upbeat, despite the darker lyrics, so I aimed to use bright and vibrant colors, contrasted by the neutral browns of the paper and cardboard to show that. To end off with, it goes without saying, but I would definitely recommend you guys to check the song out for yourselves!! It’s short, but the buildup towards the last 30 seconds always leaves me wanting to replay the song a few more times just so I can hear it again.