Placebo

Alchemy of the Soul

Here's my debut single. A moody organic little number for you x

Surely

Amber Hotel – Lean Closer EP

Step inside. The lights are low, the air is thick, and the night feels endless.
Welcome to Amber Hotel — five rooms, five stories, one descent into the heart of modern desire and disconnection.

Across Lean Closer, the Chicago-based trio turns post-punk and darkwave into a cinematic fever dream. It begins with Amber Hotel, a statement of intent — pulsing basslines, sharp guitars, and a voice that commands and confesses in the same breath. It’s not just a song; it’s an invitation. Check in, and let the walls start whispering.

From there, the descent deepens. Digital Ghost drifts through blue-light hauntings and broken connections. Automatic Devotion dances in obsession’s glow — seductive and claustrophobic all at once. Shadowed Face forces you to confront the version of yourself you’ve been hiding from, while Midnight’s Echo pulls you fully into the dark — a slow hypnosis where time dissolves and echoes replace memory.

Influenced by the timeless pulse of Bauhaus, The Cure, and She Wants Revenge, Lean Closer captures a world where emotion and machinery blur. Every track hums with the tension between control and surrender, reflection and release.

Amber Hotel isn’t nostalgia. It’s a mirror for now — flickering, dangerous, and alive.
Five songs. Five keys. One door you may not want to close again.

Welcome to Amber Hotel.
Check in. Lean closer. Don’t count on checking out.

Amber Hotel - Amber Hotel

La Louve (je veille) 🐺

The storm is coming 
The storm is here
Take shelter
Stay near

Withstand
The wrath
Withstand
The pain

Open the drain
Open the drain

Love can rescue
From emotional darkness
Love can rescue
From emotional darkness

Let the water flow
Flow it all down
Let the water flow
Wipe off the frown

Lift yourself up
Get strong again
Walk along
Always defend

Open the drain
Open the drain

Love can rescue
From emotional darkness
Love can rescue
From emotional darkness

Let the water flow
Flow it all down
Let the water flow
Wipe off the frown

Lift yourself up
Get strong again
Walk along
Always defend

Open the drain
Open the drain

Love can rescue
From emotional darkness
Love can rescue
From emotional darkness

Your heart
Your emotions
Your dreams
Your devotion

Can make you fly
Can make you live
Can help you get
To where you've been

Open the drain
Open the drain

Love can rescue
From emotional darkness
Love can rescue
From emotional darkness

Open the Drain

Ever wondered what happens when indie rock panic meets post-punk denial and jangle-pop optimism?

Well… this track answers it:

👉 A person literally baking a cake during a fire alarm.

The whole world outside is going full “Doom & Gloom: Live Edition” —
sirens crying, neighbours screaming, smoke creeping under the door —
and our hero is standing there like:

“Yeah yeah, apocalypse, whatever — the crust needs two more minutes.”

This song is basically the spiritual successor of:

“This is fine.”

“I’ll panic later, I’m busy.”

“If the roof falls, at least the frosting slaps.”

It’s the anthem for anyone who has ever ignored a real problem
because something in the oven was at a critical emotional moment.

Expect:
🥁 jangle guitars that sound like your smoke detector having an existential crisis
🎸 indie-rock riffs that slap harder than the collapsing ceiling
🔥 post-punk energy that whispers: “buddy… you’re not okay, but the cake is”
🍰 and a level of chaotic calmness that should not legally be allowed

If the world ever burns again (give it 48 hours),
blast this track, grab a whisk,
and remember:

WORRY NEVER BAKED A THING.

Lyrics:

While the world was burning,
I was checking the oven light.
Everybody ran outside,
I just wanted the crust right.
Sirens screaming in the streets,
and I'm measuring flour like it’s peace.
Smoke is leaking under every door,
but hey — the batter needs a little more.

Maybe I should worry,
but worry never baked a thing.
Maybe I should hurry,
but hurry never made it sing.

So I’m baking a cake in a fire alarm,
with the kitchen shaking like it means me harm.
All the neighbours shout that I should escape,
but the timer’s ticking — sorry, no break.
If the world goes down, I’ll still stay calm,
mixing sugar in a natural charm.
Yeah, the roof might drop, but the taste’s divine —
let the flames go crazy, the cake’s still mine.

The smoke turned into dancing ghosts,
cheering for the butter I added most.
Someone knocked and yelled: “Get out!”
But the batter rose — so I stayed devout.
There’s chaos on the news tonight,
but I’m beating eggs like I’m ready to fight.
Ash is falling like confetti rain,
and I’m greasing the pan to stay sane.

Maybe it looks foolish,
but foolish keeps me whole.
If life’s a burning building,
I’ll frost it with control.

So I’m baking a cake in a fire alarm,
with the kitchen shaking like it means me harm.
All the neighbours shout that I should escape,
but the timer’s ticking — sorry, no break.
If the world goes down, I’ll still stay calm,
mixing sugar in a natural charm.
Yeah, the roof might fall, but the taste’s divine —
let the flames go crazy, the cake’s still mine.

Let the ashes fall, let the headlines scream —
I’ll stir the chaos into whipped-cream dreams.
If everything crumbles and nothing survives,
I’ll still bake sweetness into bitter lives.

So I’m baking a cake in a fire alarm,
with the world collapsing like it means me harm.
Everyone’s running but I stay in place —
there’s magic rising in this metal case.
If the night goes dark, I’ll still stay warm —
in a kitchen storm, in a sugar-storm.
Yeah, the city can crumble, the sirens can whine —
I’ll be here baking —
the cake is mine.

Baking a Cake in a Fire Alarm

Don't believe in their bull
Don't believe in their hate
Don't believe in their lies
Don't believe in them today

They don't understand you
They don't know what to do
You scare them off
You freak them out too

They only follow the popular vote
They keep company with those
Who are loved the most

Don't believe in their bull
Don't believe in their hate
Don't believe in their lies
Don't believe in them today

They'll never understand you
So why do you care what they think
They're stuck in their little world
Feeling like they got something to see

When in reality
Their egos are in charge of

What they see
What they do
Who they hurt
Who to be
Who to be

Don't believe in their bull
Don't believe in their hate
Don't believe in their lies
Don't believe in them today

Don't believe in their bull

Released Feb 26, 2016 on our own label, Robot Farming. 

EMPIRE & THE SUN

DOWNLOAD TRACK FOR FREE HERE: http://usbabybearbones.bandcamp.com/track/you

Composed, produced and recorded by Us Baby Bear Bones. 
Mixed and additional production by Tim Morris.
Mastered by Dick Beetham.

Salvation, first single from Scanners second album 'Submarine'

Salvation

Thank you for sticking with me and listening to my songs every day. I notice the ones who show up, the ones who keep coming back, the ones who let my music into their life. I hope these songs have given you as much strength and peace as they’ve given me. I write them to lift the soul and the spirit, because in these times we need every bit of light we can get.

The only thing I can tell you is this. Never give up on yourself. If you want something, you have to work for it, and sometimes you have to work hard as shit to get anywhere. But I believe in you. I believe you will reach that first goal on your journey in this life. And when you do, don’t stop. Keep going. There is always another level waiting for you.

In the meantime, I have a whole universe of musical projects you can explore. If any of them speak to you, let me know. Welcome to the way my mind works.

Welcome to my world.

Cheers!
MDRJR