My essay on the metahistory of the murder ballad, songs about men killing their sweethearts, has UNLOCKED for free reading. My good friend William Ferguson was inspired by reading it and created this nifty song, “Filtered Away”, in the spirit of the essay. It took him a single day. A most impressive creative achievement, if you ask me!
From William’s description at Soundcloud:
“Filtered Away” is a visceral update to the traditional murder ballad, trading the isolated riverbanks of old for the cold, clinical glow of the digital age. Driven by a swampy, industrial rhythm, the song tells a haunting story of jealousy and erasure where the narrator kills an influencer only to meticulously maintain her online presence, ensuring her “content” continues to reach her unsuspecting audience.
The imagery of a blood-spattered ring light serves as a grim centerpiece for this narrative, highlighting a modern-day horror: the reality that a person’s identity can be harvested and curated by their killer. By blending classic Southern Gothic atmosphere with the hollow obsession of social media fame, the track explores the terrifying permanence of a digital footprint and the chilling ease with which a human life can be replaced by its own metadata.
You can check out his Substack here. The unlocked essay is below.
