Experimental metal group Mr. Bungle shocked their audience Thursday when they performed "Retrovertigo," a song that had not been heard live since before their breakup in 2000.
Coming from their 1999 album California, "Retrovertigo" describes a rapidly growing society where materialism combined with nostalgia overshadow and sometimes completely brush off ongoing real-world problems.
Now I'm finding truth is a ruin / Nauseous end that nobody is pursuing / Staring into glassy eyes / Mesmerized
Mr. Bungle's bassist and backing vocalist Trevor Dunn wrote the song entirely by himself. In a post to his own website, Dunn posited:
"The state of mind was disillusionment with a world or society that values image and money over human life. While certain “retro” fashions and lifestyles are considered hip, the on-going tradition of human suffering continues. As the world progresses technologically, certain people value and emulate “the good ol' days”, while others are born into poverty never having progressed past the dark ages. The title “retrovertigo” is a term I came up with to describe my nausea regarding this phenomena. At the time I was living in SF where swing dancing was making a come-back, silicon valley was exploding, vintage clothes were expensive, and the notion that anything could be bought or sold–a soul, a tragedy, the end of the world—seemed viable."
There's a vintage thirst returning / But I'm sheltered by my channel-surfing / Every famine virtual / Retrovertigo
Mr. Bungle is currently on tour in Latin America with Avenged Sevenfold, who covered Retrovertigo in 2017.
With Avenged Sevenfold:
01/20 Bogota, Colombia @ Movistar Arena
01/24 Santiago, Chile @ Estadio Bicentenario de La Florida
01/28 Curitiba, Brazil @ Pedreira Paulo Leminski
01/13 Sao Paulo, Brazil @ Allianz Parque
02/03 Buenos Aires, Argentina @ Movistar Arena
Mr. Bungle only:
01/22 Concepcion, Chile @ Gimnasio Muncipal de Concepion
01/26 Sao Paulo, Brazil @ Cine Joia
