New York and London-based I'mmortal's latest single, Killed You in a Dream is out on streaming platforms today. Unlike her previous alt-pop songs, Verace Spaceship and Supervillain, this is a macabre, horror-like anthem that plunges us into a world where things are not what they seem—from the ambiguous lyrics to the rapidly changing sound.
I'mmortal described Killed You in a Dream as "ultimately a song about rebirth," a theme that is clear in the structure of the piece. The single begins as a recognisable brooding pop song: the plush vocals are supported by synth and violin, and the lyrics appear distraught: "Did you think that I was crying when you left me on the floor, dying?"
This vulnerability quickly shifts to disdain as I'mmortal proclaims that she "killed you in a dream last night." As she repeats this refrain, the sound distorts further and further, as if the music itself is dying. About halfway through, we are left with an entirely different song—trippy and pulsating with a frantic beat. The heavily synthesised vocals in this section give the artist a more futuristic, non-human sound. I'mmortal becomes not a victim but a goddess of destruction, narrating the disintegration of the world around her.
The song doesn't end with any clear musical or lyrical resolution, enhancing the off-beat atmosphere. Even the visual—an ethereal, glowing I'mmortal with a stab scar on her chest—combines the familiar with the bizarre. Killed You in a Dream is an impressive feat that eschews pop conventions to create an immersive experience that leaves us confused and intrigued in the best possible way.