Amythyst Kiah’s New Song ‘Play God and Destroy the World’ Was Inspired by ‘The Matrix’

Amythyst Kiah will release her new album, Still + Bright, on Oct. 25. Produced by Butch Walker, it features 12 tracks from the singer, songwriter, and banjoist, along with a few collabs.

The first pairs Kiah with S.G. Goodman and serves to announce Still + Bright. Titled “Play God and Destroy the World,” it’s a callback to a song Kiah wrote as a teenager. While this version is ultimately different from the original, its title — inspired by the 1999 sci-fi film The Matrix — remains.

“The Matrix was a foundational movie for me, in which I realized that suburbia is a facade meant for people to deceive each other of their humanity through a protocol of platitudes and whispers behind each others’ backs,” Kiah said in a statement.

Along with the Goodman cameo, Still + Bright features a song with Billy Strings (“I Will Not Go Down”), one with Walker (“Silk and Petals”), and another with vocalist Avi Kaplan (“Die Slowly Without Complaint”). Walker wrote or co-wrote all of the dozen tracks. The closing “People’s Prayer” was written with Tim Armstrong, co-founder of Operation Ivy and Rancid.

Still + Bright will be released by Rounder Records, and Kiah will support the album with a fall tour that includes an Aug. 9 appearance at the Grand Ole Opry.

Still + Bright track list:
1. “Play God and Destroy the World” (feat. S.G. Goodman) (Amythyst Kiah, Sadler Vaden)
2. “S P A C E” (Kiah)
3. “Empire of Love” (Kiah, Sean McConnell)
4. “I Will Not Go Down” (feat. Billy Strings) (Kiah, Butch Walker)
5. “Silk and Petals” (feat. Butch Walker) (Kiah)
6. “Die Slowly Without Complaint” (feat. Avi Kaplan) (Kiah, Jeremy Lutito, Avi Kaplan)
7. “Gods Under the Mountain” (Kiah, McConnell)
8. “Dead Stars” (Kiah)
9. “Dark Matter” (Kiah)
10. “Let’s See Ourselves Out” (Kiah)
11. “Never Alone” (Kiah, Walker)
12. “People’s Prayer” (Kiah, Tim Armstrong)