“Big Sunglasses,” the second single from TRISHES‘ upcoming debut album The Id, brings together pop music and psychology. The track’s title is a nod to the uniform that participants in Philip Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment wore if they were assigned to the guard position. Zimbardo was studying the effects of perceived power and how a group of volunteers would change their behavior based on whether they were assigned the role of guard or prisoner. Zimbardo was inspired by Stanley Milgram’s experiment that took note of volunteers’ obedience to authority figures when they perceived another person to be in pain or danger.
The latter experiment is referenced in the video for “Big Sunglasses.” TRISHES says, “In the Milgram experiment participants were asked by a supervisor to shock another participant, who was secretly an actor, with increasing intensity for a study they were told was on memory. The study has been noted as one that shows the power of authority over our minds, but I think it tells us more than that. I think it gives us insights into how permission structures give us a sense of anonymity.”
She adds, “I’ve always been interested in the idea of anonymity and how it changes us. I think a lot about the human condition and how it has brought our society to a place of continued injustice and environmental collapse. Looking at who we are when we think no one is watching us—I think that reveals a lot about humanity—and understanding our darkest tendencies feels integral at this pivotal moment in human history.”
In the video directed Jessica Lorenzo, the one-woman act splits herself into three, playing both teacher and learner.
Watch “Big Sunglasses” below and pre-order her album The Id here.
