MGMT - Time to Pretend

We've got the vision, now let's have some fun

1. Time to Pretend is a magnificently quirky rhapsody that pokes glorious fun at the fame-and-fortune excess pioneered by the Stones. It also captured the hearts of college students and twenty-somethings worldwide who had grown weary of rockstar excess and ate spoonfuls of irony on the desert road to Burning Man. The electro-psychedelic anthem is a sonic rollercoaster through the mischievous minds of Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden, the brains behind MGMT. It is an existential crisis, a euphoric rebellion, and entirely catchy as hell. The track opens with a synth riff so infectious it should come with a warning label: Dangerously Danceable. Goldwasser and VanWyngarden’s vocals float in like a pair of hipster sirens, singing about the allure of fame and the disillusionment that comes with it. It’s far too easy to let the existential dread fool you; this track is as much about embracing the absurdity of life as it is about questioning it.

2. Lyrically, Time to Pretend reads like a manifesto for the millennial generation – a declaration of independence from societal norms and expectations. From popping champagne on a yacht to snorting substances best left to the imagination, the song’s protagonists indulge in hedonistic fantasies as if they raided Hunter S. Thompson’s medicine cabinet and wrote a pop song about it. Beneath the surface-level debauchery lies a deeper commentary on the fleeting nature of youth and the inevitability of growing up – a theme that resonates with anyone who’s ever felt the pang of nostalgia for their carefree days.

   I'll miss the playgrounds
   And the animals and digging up worms
   I'll miss the comfort of my mother
   And the weight of the world
   I'll miss my sister, miss my father,
   Miss my dog and my home
   Yeah, I'll miss the boredom
   And the freedom and the time spent alone

3. Musically, Time to Pretend is a funky melange of sounds and influences that shouldn’t work together but oh do they. Its blend of electronic beats, swirling synths, and fanciful melodies build a sonic landscape that’s equal parts psychedelic rock and dancefloor anthem. You can’t have a bad time as this blares out of your car stereo with your windows down and the California coast out of your window. Time to Pretend did as much to chronicle its time as it lived in it. This is the part where professional rock critics would say some shit about “capturing the zeitgeist.” In an era defined by social media influencers and instant gratification, the song is a poignant reminder that the pursuit of fame and fortune is hilariously stupid. The protagonists may dream of big houses and fast cars, but ultimately, they come to realize their joy lies in authenticity and self-discovery, which is amazing when you consider Goldwasser and VanWyngarden wrote this while still in college. Then again, what better time to come to this realization.