Secret City, 2022
Music and video
3’17”



Desire courses through the dark corners of our city. Driven by a retro-industrial rhythm, the lyrics navigate the fluid dynamics of queer desire within the hidden enclaves of the metropolis. With the city’s faith having long faded away, temptation now reigns supreme. Anchored by crisp, up-tempo industrial beats, Alexmalism seamlessly glides between chest voice and falsetto, utilizing an 80s-inspired vocal delivery to channel these clandestine, urban secrets.

The music video for "Secret City" is a DIY collaboration between Alex and his MMSP studio roommate, Winston Yeung. Shot against the gritty backdrop of Tai Kok Tsui's back alleys, Alexmalism embraces drag to explore a gender-fluid stream of desire.

"Secret City" Lyrics

Pitch-black sky, the route unseen,
Ignite the bike, ride the machine,
Hands grip tight, caught in between,
(Tell me where’s your sensitive spot)

Breath speeds up, the force fields rise,
Short, sharp gasps like a falcon's cries,
One attacks, one defends, no compromise,
(I’d like to do it without barriers)

It's the lingering echo of a blissful ache,
It's the fragrant recipe the night winds make,
It's the secret intel we never share (how could we share?)
A midnight rendezvous in the coastal air.
It's you on the street, roaming through the night,
Refracting my gaze, returning the sight,
(It's you looking back in the fading light)

Indulge me tonight, hit the basement space,
Who cares if tomorrow leaves an empty trace?
The vocals drop, setting a brand new pace,
(Do you wanna dance with me)

A twist, a bend, tracing marks you expose,
With every breath, the temptation grows,
Bodies colliding as the dead-end glows,
(Let me know you further tonight)

It's the echoing ache of flesh and bone,
A rainy night blurring the world we've known,
In the secret city, left completely unsaid (how could it be said?)
All these visceral forms, unrecorded and shed.
It's the vanishing faith across this land,
It's temptation taking the upper hand,
(Let us go explore it tonight)

秘密都市，2022

3 分 17 秒

慾望流動於我城暗角處，在復古工業風的節奏上，歌詞探索同性之間在都市隱蔽之處探索情慾的流動，只因我城的信念經已消失，是誘惑支配了這一 方。音樂風格以明快的工業音樂風節奏為主導，Alexmalism 以真假音在旋律之間轉換，並配上80年代的唱腔演繹出慾望流動的都市秘密。

《秘密都市》MV由 Alex 和其 MMSP 工作室室友 Winston Yeung 二人 DIY 製作，在大角咀的後街頭巷尾中， Alexmalism 以變裝探索性別模糊的情慾流動。

After Alexmalism’s Cantopop singles ‘Virtual Delusion’ and ‘Ocean’ in May and June, Alex is about to release his another Cantopop single ‘True or False, You and Me’ alongside with ‘Secret City’ to be available on all streaming platforms on 19/7. ‘True or False, You and Me’ is a collaboration in between Alexmalism and Kelvin T in which it combines Kelvin T’s music production and Alexmalism’s vocal, melodies and

The lyrics of ‘True or False, You and Me’ hints at the disagreement on politics in between Alex himself and his former friends. It depicts a series of self-doubt and misbelief onto himself while Alex came to a conclusion with his ultimate affirmation of his own belief. 

The single 'True and False, You and Me' 《真假你我》 is characterized by Kelvin T's idiomatic style of hard industrial kicks and synthline, yet the melodies and the chorus demonstrates Alexmalism's lyricism and harmonic approaches that reflects his background in classical and pop culture in contrasts to Kelvin T's hardness. The subject matters of the lyrics question Alex's lament of former friendship that is being torn by different views on matters - whether political or ideological.

A visualizer of this single depicts Kelvin T's 3D scan that is being distorted by interacting with the music itself.

Lyrics (Chinese w/ English translation)

假的你是誰

Who are you, fake?

真的我是負累

I'm really tired

通通都是胡亂說的犯罪

It's all bullshit crime

真的你又是誰

Who are you really?

假的你在入睡

The fake you are sleeping

只得我斷言立約再趕追

I have to make a promise to make a covenant and then chase after

誰又可驗證我信仰

Who can verify my beliefs?

原來你已早知這幻象

It turns out that you already knew this illusion

是非 從來無理

Right or wrong is never reasonable

不說話怎可以想

Without speaking, how can you think?

窺看那臉容 (臉容）

Peek at that face (face)

倒影裡是朦朧 （矇朧）

In the reflection is hazy (hazy)

怎可以自行驗證這幻夢 （誰在發夢）

How can you verify this dream by yourself? (Who is dreaming?)

身分證實無人 （是誰）

No one has been identified (who?)

消失殆盡人群 （是妄念）

Disappearing the crowd (it's a delusion)

星空裡月兒沒法計光分 （是甚麼距離）

In the starry sky, the moon cannot measure the light points (at what distance?)

誰又可 (是你和我)

Who can (you and me)

驗證我信仰 (去驗證你信仰)

Verify my belief? (Go to verify your belief)

原來 你 (我不說話)

So you (I don't speak)

已早知這幻象 (你終知道)

Already knew this vision (you know it)

是非 (無論對錯)

Right or wrong (True or false)

從來無理 (是你和我）

never unreasonable (it's you and me)

不說話 (沉默）

Without speaking (silence)

怎可以想（怎可以想？）

How can you think? (How can you think?)

誰又可驗證我信仰

Who can verify my beliefs?

原來你已早知這幻象

It turns out that you already knew this illusion

是非 從來無理

Right or wrong is never reasonable

不說話怎可以想

Without speaking, how can you think?

香港獨立音樂唱作人 Alexmalism 發行首張粵語單曲《虛擬妄想》，探索社交媒體虛擬世界的幻象
香港音樂唱作人 Alexmalism 首張包辦詞、曲、編、監、唱的粵語流行曲單曲《虛擬妄想》，也是他首張填詞和演唱的歌曲，將於二零二二年五月廿七日登陸各大串流平台。

二零二二年五月(香港)/《虛擬妄想》是一首描繪社交媒體成癮所造成的錯覺的歌曲。在疫情期間，Alexmalism從自我隔離的經歷中汲取靈感，在日常使 用社交媒體的過程裡，我們自願輸入了許多數據，令數據和算法主宰我們日常生活(包括感情)。單曲封面為 Alex 以 iPhone 前置 truedepth 鏡頭所拍下 的 3D 立體頭像，是從電話的角度，去理解人是如何透過虛擬化的形象，去解鎖電話進入虛擬世界。

《虛擬妄想》的音樂受到了前衛流行音樂和銳舞音樂如 Björk 和 SOPHIE 的影響，作為對銳舞和粵語流行音樂的重新想像——通過互聯網的網絡效應實 現文化的混合，其中它反映了 Alexmalism 自己的在地下俱樂部音樂文化的參與和香港的文化背景。

《虛擬妄想》將收錄於 Alexmalism 粵語歌大碟當中，並於9月發行。