Pigeon Opinion Featuring an Interview with Joshua Scurfield

Digital Poison by Joshua Scurfield is a haunting and emotionally sharp piece of modern alternative rock that captures the alienation of the digital age with striking clarity. Drawing clear inspiration from the atmospheric melancholy of Radiohead and Slowdive, the track blends shimmering guitar textures, spacious production, and intimate vocals into something both nostalgic and deeply current.

Interview with Motihari Brigade

1. What does the title “Digital Poison” represent for you — technology, emotional decay, or something more personal?

I think it's all of the above. We are so isolated now by default, and what I mean by that is it takes effort not to be cut off from each other. If you let the current take you as it is, we doomscroll constantly without even realising it. And then your life is painted by whatever drips through the algorithms, which makes you misanthropic, and then the cycle continues.

2. The track feels deeply rooted in themes of isolation and digital disconnection. What experiences or observations shaped that perspective?

I've fallen into the same trap many of us do, where a huge amount of what we're exposed to is just from social media. Seeing nothing but negative things, or seeing the world through the lens of an algorithm, really affects you and damages your perception of those around you and your own life. I think a lot of it is similar to other technologies when they were first invented, like leaded gasoline in the 1920s when it caused neurological damage and increased crime rates. I think there are similarities to social media in that regard.

3. Compared to earlier material or ideas you’ve worked on, does this single represent a shift in your songwriting or production approach?

Not so much a shift but an expansion. I'm still building myself up as an artist in this new project, where I'm just being myself. I'm exploring things that affect me and that I care about, whereas in the past I was trying to explore more vast, philosophical sorts of concepts. So it's just part of my new journey writing personal things.

4. The influence of bands like Radiohead and Slowdive is present in the atmosphere, but the track still feels very contemporary. How do you balance nostalgia with modern relevance?

I find that if I just write, it'll sound a bit like Radiohead or Slowdive or other influences because those are what shaped me as an artist, and as a person in some ways too. So they're always going to be in there. It's just a case of thinking what could make it sound more exciting or what brings me joy to write that's new or different, and that will naturally mean it sounds more updated. I think that's part of being an artist in any form, because we're all shaped by the time we live in.

5. You produced and recorded the track entirely yourself. How did that level of control shape the emotional identity of the song?

It's really freeing. It's great not having to wait around for producers like I did once upon a time. Knowing how to get, or try to get, the sounds I want is so powerful in the sense that I can use production and mixing as just another instrument. It's like being able to create a whole world, rather than just draw a map of it.

6. The production leans heavily on delay, texture, and space. How important was atmosphere compared to traditional structure when building the track?

I instinctively use a lot of special sounds because of how much shoegaze I listened to over the years. I think atmosphere is where I always start when I'm writing a new song, but with Digital Poison it was a specific feeling I wanted to get with that vocal delay. I wanted it to balance carefully between nostalgic and tragic. The delay achieves that by feeding back on itself. But at the end of the track especially, when the vocal delay is exposed, it hits you in waves like memories flooding back and the absence of the rest of the track makes it feel empty and alone.

7. The vocal performance feels intimate and slightly distant at the same time. Was that contrast intentional in reflecting the theme of disconnection?

I think the vocal performance contrasting like that was actually unintentional. I spent many years singing a shoegaze style, where the vocals were faded intentionally and more atmospheric. But since becoming a solo artist and singing about more personal things, I now want to feature the vocals much more heavily. But old habits die hard, and I think the delay and reverb I use coupled with the vocal melody being written harmonically alongside the guitar make for a half and half vocal that's there but not there. It definitely fits this song's theme though!

8. The song explores misanthropy and digital overload without becoming overly literal. How do you approach writing about heavy themes without losing subtlety?

This is something that's at the heart of all good songwriting. I think there is a lot to be said for going with the language that comes naturally when feeling the things I want to write about. Like, thinking "what would I actually say" rather than what necessarily sounds good. But then of course, it has to sound good by design! So you try to get the best-sounding not-trying-to-sound-good parts...

9. There’s a strong sense of emotional fatigue running through the track. Was that something you were consciously trying to translate into sound?

I suppose it was. When I think about it, the song is definitely a rollercoaster of feelings. It goes from wondering if anything matters to wondering if I matter. That's quite a violent emotional journey, but I'm not surprised that's coming through because the misanthropy that internet poison causes is absolutely exhausting. Anger at everyone and everything is absolutely exhausting. It wouldn't be poison if it wasn't. The greatest passive harm of living in our time is that isolating misanthropy and emotional exhaustion, so the song reflects that.

10. Does “Digital Poison” mark a broader creative direction for your upcoming work as a solo artist?

I think at this stage it's all just part of exploring who I am, who we are and what I want to put into music. I'm not entirely sure what will come out next, I just know there's plenty more music in my head and plenty more I want to share with the world!

(•)> That's all, Folks! Check out Joshua Scurfield - Digital Poison on the Pigeon Opinion Playlist