Telehealth - Mindtrap

JUL 01 2024 · 12:00

Telehealth - Mindtrap (2024) Era: Post-COVID Synth-Punk Revival (2023–2024) - DIY art-punk video era defined by lo-fi digital aesthetics, corporate-satire conceptualism, and indie label Sub Pop's renewed underground investments High curatorial value as an early, pre-full-label-deal Telehealth artifact that crystallizes the band's corporate-satirist identity and visual language. Sits at a productive archival intersection of 2020s underground post-punk, Sub Pop institutional history, and post-COVID cultural commentary. The video's bright, warm, fast-cut aesthetic is a legible and documentable visual fingerprint for the egg-punk/new-wave revival micro-genre of the early 2020s. Context: Released October 25, 2023 via Sub Pop as a Sub Pop Singles Club 7" (digital release January 2024 for the video), 'Mindtrap' arrives at the intersection of post-COVID workplace alienation discourse and a robust underground new-wave revival. Telehealth, a Seattle band self-described as 'an ideas-driven music corporation,' deploys corporate jargon, RTO/PTO lyrical content, and ironic green branding as pointed satire of tech-industry Seattle and the 'new normal' gig economy. The video's bright, warm, fast-cut aesthetic mirrors the band's Devo-and-B-52s-informed sonic DNA while signaling DIY production values consistent with the egg-punk underground. The single followed Telehealth's debut LP 'Content Oscillator' and preceded their full Sub Pop partnership, positioning 'Mindtrap' as a pivotal transitional artifact in their discography. Director notes: The official 'Mindtrap' video was released on or around January 25, 2024, per Apple Music and Kool Rock Radio. The single itself was released October 25, 2023 via Sub Pop. No director credit appears in any press release, label page, or media coverage found. Note: a separate Telehealth video, 'Cool Job' (2026), is confirmed directed by bandmember Alexander Attitude per Sub Pop's official announcement, but this attribution cannot be extended to 'Mindtrap' without a direct source.