McMillin Pokes Fun At Attention Seeking On Social Media With 'Joke'

(PN) Nashville native McMillin releases new project "Joke." "Joke" is a raw and gripping project that explores the frenzy of social media and the relentless demand for instant gratification.

McMillin's new single, "Joke," captures the frustration, obsession, and exhaustion of trying to be heard in an era where attention is currency. With sharp lyricism and a melody that balances melancholy with urgency, the song peels back the layers of what it means to create in a world that constantly demands more but rarely gives back. The opening lines - "YouTube videos of doctors in the weird hours tell me I should get more sleep / Choke down one more melatonin early in the morning, show up late to everything" - set the tone immediately. There's no romanticizing the struggle, no poetic framing - just a blunt reality check. The lyrics read like thoughts spilling out unfiltered, capturing the exhaustion of chasing something that always feels just out of reach.

"Validation from strangers on the internet / More addicting than heroin and cigarettes" doesn't hold back. It's not an exaggeration, just an acknowledgment of how deep the need for recognition runs. McMillin makes it clear that this isn't just about personal insecurity - it's about the system we're all caught in. The internet offers a stage, but the applause is inconsistent, and the silence is deafening.

The most cutting moment comes with "Put it out in the world and it got caught in the web / And landed like a joke that goes over your head." It's not just about being overlooked; it's about feeling like your work is misunderstood, dismissed before it even has a chance. The song lingers on this idea, returning to it with more intensity each time, as if trying to process the weight of it in real-time. By the time "Joke" comes to a close, it doesn't offer a resolution, because there isn't one. The feelings don't just disappear. McMillin doesn't dress anything up or make it digestible. The song is restless, relentless, and painfully honest - just like the experience it describes.

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