Altered States

Hocico's song 'Altered States' delves into the complex and often unsettling relationship between perception and reality. The lyrics suggest a journey through a distorted mental landscape, where the boundaries between what is real and what is imagined become blurred. The repeated phrase 'It's all in your head' emphasizes the idea that our experiences and perceptions are subjective, influenced by our mental state and external substances, such as medication.

The song's chorus, 'All, all in this place / Makes you live in altered states / What you touch doesn't exist / I'll get you back to reality,' highlights the theme of disconnection from reality. This disconnection is portrayed as both a form of escape and a trap, where the mind is both calmed and deceived by external influences. The lyrics suggest that the 'altered states' induced by these influences create a false sense of reality, one that is ultimately unfulfilling and illusory.

Hocico, known for their dark and aggressive electronic music, often explores themes of psychological turmoil and societal critique. 'Altered States' fits within this framework, using stark and repetitive language to convey a sense of urgency and disorientation. The song's insistence on 'taking your pills' and the promise to 'get you back to reality' can be seen as a critique of the reliance on medication to manage mental states, questioning whether such interventions truly address the underlying issues or merely mask them.

The song's exploration of altered mental states and the nature of reality invites listeners to reflect on their own perceptions and the factors that shape them. It challenges the listener to consider the ways in which their reality might be constructed or manipulated, and what it means to truly 'get back to reality.'