The track itself bristles with contradictions that somehow coalesce into coherence. Berman's twangy guitar work cuts through the mix with serrated precision, while his SNES-era synth arrangements conjure the fevered dreams of a Generation X shut-in raised on equal measures of Joy Division and Super Mario World. Producer Louie Diller has crafted a sonic palette that feels simultaneously retro and urgent—an indie-rock blast that weaponizes nostalgia with surgical accuracy.
Lyrically, Berman navigates the treacherous waters of political commentary with the dexterity of a seasoned provocateur. His narrative follows Luigi Mangione's surreal transformation from maligned patient to headline-grabbing vigilante—a trajectory traced without endorsement but with unflinching fascination. The hooks that bind this tale together possess genuine barbs; they lodge themselves in your consciousness before you've fully processed their venom. It's pop music as Trojan horse—sweet enough to slip past your defenses, sharp enough to draw blood.
The accompanying music video proves equally uncompromising. By recasting Mario as an unlikely avatar of corporate vengeance, Berman transforms childhood iconography into something far more sinister. The 16-bit aesthetic becomes a language of protest, pixels arranged into patterns of discontent. It's both deeply silly and profoundly unsettling—precisely the sort of cognitive dissonance that marks genuinely subversive art.
The project extends beyond mere music into guerrilla theater. An LA wildposting campaign and the September 4th benefit show for Mangione's legal defense fund transform artistic statement into direct action. This isn't just commentary on the algorithm—it's a lo-fi scream hurled directly at its mechanical heart. Berman understands that sometimes the most honest response to systemic absurdity is to amplify it through equally absurd channels.
Make Believe Love has crafted something genuinely rare: political pop music that trusts its audience enough to present complex ideas without patronizing explanations. In a cultural landscape increasingly dominated by algorithmic blandness, such bold gestures feel not just welcome but essential. Berman may be playing with fire, but at least he's brought marshmallows.