Is Anybody Out There? The Space Hip-Opera

(all translations cr: @dprdabin on twitter)

I preface this review with I’ve never done a full length review, analysis, interpretation what have you like this, preferring to get to the point with one liners defining the song and how I feel about it. But DPR has never half assed anything so I won’t half ass this. It’s only fair. Is Anybody Out There takes us on a journey through space, navigating emotional lows and highs via Live’s soothing voice and Cream's always iconic arrangements. I’ve already lost track of how many times I’ve listened to the album since it dropped but every time I do I notice something new. The continuous discoveries only pushed me to listen more and listen closer. With that said:

Here Goes Nothing: the official start to the journey. You know that trope, where a character is hurt or in some kind of trouble, and they’re talking to their love interest playing it off to keep them from worrying? That’s the feeling I get from this song. Live asks, “Would you save me if I fell? Would you save me if I crashed?” Seems simple at first but as the song progresses his voice gets more desperate repeating this question. “Would someone save me if I fell?” He is crashing and it’s becoming more obvious, except there’s no one receiving his message. Christian and Live both explained that the first two songs on the album are about depression and Here goes nothing does an amazing job of capturing that initial low. Crashing, begging for help, and feeling like no one is listening.

The first chants of “Geronimo” feel like Live is trying to build his confidence for the jump. He needs to get off this ship before it wrecks but taking the leap is always the hardest part. The song ends with Christian saying the “Here Goes Nothing” and his “Geronimo” is cut off as the song mentioned starts. A great transition that captures the feeling of an immediate drop. (Side note: I thought it was so interesting that it was Christian who says these lines and not Live. As if it was Christian who actually jumped. I wonder if this will be explained or tie into their cinematic universe)

Geronimo: If Here Goes Nothing is the process of the crash or taking the leap, then Geronimo is the falling. The lyrics “I love the lows, without them there are no highs” casts a little positivity on depression (this is a trap for all folks out there going through a depression. Live continues to tell whoever is listening (or not listening) how he’s pretending to be okay “I’ve put on a smile but it’s a disguise please don’t be fooled I think I’m losing my grip.” The constant ad libs of “I don’t wanna fall!” Show even more desperation. For second, Live seems to accept his reality since he has “nowhere to run.” He returns to the lows and highs line and compares them to a bungee jump. There’s a sense of stagnancy in depression. A comfort in sadness. The song mellows out briefly before Live snaps out of it. He once again begs for help and the song becomes turbulent. He’s now hyper aware of everything going on. One of the last lines “you gotta find a way to survive” speaks volumes. As most people who have gone through hard times would admit, you have to decide to pull yourself out the hole or in this case, to jump ship. Third favorite song overall.

To Whoever: a lot of people I discussed this album with pointed out how this track was super personal and felt like we weren’t supposed to hear it. That got me thinking what if this song was a black box recording? It would make sense since we only hear those recordings after a crash and the previous song ended with a serious one. To Whoever is a short autobiography set to music. The song cutting in and out to amplify Live’s monologue. This track does a wonderful job of helping us get to know Live a little better. If the theory of it being a black box recording is right, I question who retrieved it. Personally speaking a bit of this song hits a bit close to home and I’m proud Live chose to share this with us.

Out of Control: this is hands down my favorite song off the album. While the lyrics aren’t exactly positive, the feeling of having no control over your life and being out of it is exhausting, the beat is so fun and I find myself dancing to it every time it comes on (if you know me at all I’m a sucker for songs like this. I call them depression bops). The first verse discloses how tiring it is being overwhelmed. Feeling like pure sh*t and wanting everything to stop. We’ve all been there. The second verse where Live raps about the CTYL tour is a bit more upbeat. It was nice to recount that concert and hear how excited he was to perform. However, he then goes on to explain how when the high is over he crashes hard. He just performed songs he created in front of the fans who have been with him from the start. So why the empty feeling? (It’s the Post Concert Depression) “lately I’ve been failing, been so out my zone feel like I just hit my ceiling” I love these lyrics the most, partially for how he says them and partially for the imagery of being in a room that’s constantly flipping.

Disconnect: this song is absolutely way too short! A reward for those fans who have been a fan long enough to get the reference and absolutely just fun to listen to. The excitement right before an adventure. Who knows where he’s taking us? Just know that the journey is worth it. While it is short, this song is the turning point of the album’s mood. From here on is positive vibes only and I agree sometimes disconnecting is the best way to start feeling better.

S.O.S: while Live has been calling out for help for a lot of this album, S.O.S ironically isn’t one of these calls. The title’s abbreviation means Sailing Over Saturn and takes us on a trip through the solar system. I can see this one becoming a summer jam. I especially love the lyrics about passing mars — “Heard people wanna live here” and then saying the planet is boring (I imagine a very pointed side eye at Elon Musk). This song is so much fun and carefree. I especially love the ending where the beat slows and Live seems to be taking in the view. “Do you see it? Well I do. (i'm sailing over you)”

Oh Girl: my second favorite song! Another one I like to dance to. Live raps about a girl who has an intoxicating effect on him. The song is fun and I imagine Live chasing a girl around who leads him into pitfalls to laugh at him. It feels like it belongs with an amusing chase scene in an action movie. I would love the words Rainbow Shower on a shirt or hoodie, side note. Since this album is intergalactic, the lyrics: “You make me feel strange” and “you keep me guessing” and especially “you always speak in an alien language” make me wonder if he’s singing to an alien. Is that a weird interpretation? I apologize. I just think the song is dedicated to someone truly out of this world. Flirty and fun if I had to sum up in two words.

Kiss Me: There’s a lot I want to say about this song. All my friends have extreme feelings about it. I had made many jokes about a particular set of lyrics in this song with them. Ahem. Look, I can admit I’m immature and songs about sex, to me, are always gonna be funny, no matter how poetic the lyrics are. And Kiss Me’s lyrics are just that. I’m not sure what the right or family friendly words are to fully describe this song. It’s not family friendly so I guess I’m in the clear. It’s f*cking sexy, makes me feel loved. Something so interesting and mysterious about the thought of head in space. Or perhaps that’s not what Live meant by “The way you kiss it oh so rude” and “then you go down down down and all I see is stars go upside down.” I still have my qualms about “take your f*cking makeup off right now” but I still maintain it could be the new “how do you like your eggs in the morning?” Thank you, Live, for caring about my skincare. (Perfect opportunity for DPR to cash in on some branded makeup remover.)

Trophy earned - 50 mile high club

Neon: this one seems to be the crowd favorite. Almost everyone I talked to has stated this was their favorite off the album. Another summer jam if I ever heard one and another love song. (Three love songs back to back? Are you trying to tell us something?) This song is a feel-good one I feel would have played on the radio in late 2000s or at a pool party. It’s cute, it’s flirty, and it’s colorful. The camera flash that follows “now hold tight baby look nice” and the warp (?) sound that follows “now hold tight baby space drive” really put me into that moment. Pose for the camera before we take off. I classify this one as a song that makes me want to fall in love.

Legacy: our title track graced with the amazing and iconic visuals from +ian. Cocky is what I would use to describe this song and the energy Live brings in the music video. There’s a countdown clock counting down to his crash and Live doing everything in his power to stop it. Lately when I play this album I will get to Legacy and keep it on repeat. Its hype, high energy, dope song to work out to.

DPR LIVE - Legacy (OFFICIAL M/V)

The highlight of the song is the second verse where Live switches to making fun of other rappers. In the video this is punctuated with him putting on a welding mask. “why do you keep rapping? // honestly I don’t understand // (What? I ain’t rapping. It’s all about the money!)” From this point Live enters a satirical dialogue mocking commonly used phrases rappers use. The repetition of “look at my dab,” the rhyming of models with bottles, the over glorification of money and using it as a prop when they don’t always have that money.

after using it, there’s not much money left

it’s okay, look at my dab

with the rest of it, I cast model(s)

obviously I have a bottle in one hand

(and) in this hand I have my love, a wad of money

hold it up to my ear and have a convo over a phone call

The whole verse summed up is “this is how you all sound: the same.” He doesn’t stop there, continuing to berate them for using guns in their lyrics when they’ve never even held one. I love this line especially because hip hop is a genre where rappers try to have this violent or dangerous persona when it's unnecessary; as Live has proven with his entire discography. The very last line, “I mean don’t get it too twisted man // keep doing you, so I can do me” is straightforward: keep being unoriginal and repetitive, it makes Live stand out. I absolutely love when he jumps ship right after this line. Gets the adrenaline flowing. I’m excited for whatever video comes out next since this adventure is To Be Continued.

No Rescue Needed: our closer and what an ending this is! The sheer positivity of it, it’s the feeling of the sun on your skin after you’ve been in the dark as a song. We crashed, we lost control, went on a journey, and came out better for it. The stark difference from the lows and desperation of Here Goes Nothing to the reassurance that everything will be okay so “please smile for me.” We no longer need rescuing and it's a beautiful feeling.

I would have recommended this album anyway because I love DPR and everything they do, but this album is great for any of you going through hard times. If you love concept albums and sci-fi this album is also perfect for you. I look forward to reading other reviews to see other interpretations and maybe doing more of these. Stream Is Anybody Out There on Spotify, Apple Music, and Youtube. The physical album has just been available for preorder as well.