In the brutalist confines of late-stage capitalism, the office isn’t just a workspace; it’s a fluorescent-lit purgatory where ambition goes to die. Here, under the sterile hum of overhead lights, workers become hollow-eyed hostages to spreadsheets and sales targets, their creativity crushed under the grind of quarterly quotas. Each click of the mouse, each tap of the keyboard, feels like another link in the chain of servitude, tethering the soul to a cycle of meaninglessness, all in the name of shareholder satisfaction. In this antiseptic arena, freedom is a quaint relic, and individuality is smothered by a monolithic pursuit of profit.
Enter Prison Planet, a project that tackles this existential grind head-on with a sonic sucker punch. The brainchild of Dominic Mastroianni, Prison Planet emerges as a lone voice in the post-punk wilderness, channeling the raw, discordant energy of rebellion into something beautifully bleak. Their latest offering, “Sacrifice,” serves as a dirge for the disenchanted, a nihilistic anthem for anyone who has felt the suffocating weight of the corporate yoke.
“Sacrifice” plunges listeners into a sonic swamp of despair and defiance. It’s a minimalist march through a maze of debt and drudgery, where Mastroianni’s baritone howls meet a relentless bassline and spectral samples. Imagine Clan of Xymox meets Sisters of Mercy in a dimly lit basement, where every note reverberates with the desolation of a life subsumed by labor’s relentless monotony. Each beat is a blunt reminder of bondage, each melody a mournful nod to lost autonomy. It’s as if one of the faceless factory drones from Fritz Lang’s Metropolis had picked up a guitar and poured all their despair into a dark bedroom pop project.
The lyrics of “Sacrifice” carve into the psyche like a razor through the skin of a weary soul. They evoke a grim reality where life is an unending parade of imposed mundanity and silent suffering. There’s a recurring theme of bleeding—symbolic of the slow, unacknowledged agony of existing as an overlooked cog in the unforgiving machinery of modern life. Mastroianni’s lyrics speak of a world that’s indifferent to individual pain, where one’s sense of self erodes in the face of ceaseless external demands.
Visually, the music video juxtaposes stark imagery—corporate cubicles, warzones, prison yards, and mundane daily drudgery—edited in a VHS-style haze that heightens the track’s sense of unease. It’s a disquieting montage of a life where rebellion is a whisper and conformity a scream.
Watch “Sacrifice” below:
“Sacrifice” is just the beginning—a harbinger of more to come. It’s the first of three singles paving the way for a full-length album set to drop in early spring 2025. While Prison Planet currently exists as a solitary endeavor, plans are afoot to flesh out the lineup and take this visceral post-punk project to the stage.
In the meantime, listen to the song below and order it here.
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