If burnout had a soundtrack, it wouldn’t sound like a funeral dirge. Rather, it’d sound more like Micki XO’s “Power Outage”, and I mean that in the best way possible. It’s a song about being completely fried, stretched thin, and ready to collapse, but instead of quietly falling apart, it chooses to dance on the ruins. Micki, a Portland-based electro-pop artist, takes the emotional clutter of modern life; doomscrolling, working yourself into dust, pretending you’re fine and somehow turns it into something that feels almost triumphant. It’s burnout with eyeliner and a beat drop.
From the start, “Power Outage” hums like it’s running on the last bit of battery life but refusing to shut down. The synths shimmer like fluorescent lights in an empty office, and the kick drum hits with that kind of stubborn energy only caffeine and spite can fuel. And then there’s the drop; an unreasonably satisfying moment that shouldn’t work as well as it does. It’s not a collapse; it’s a release. The song builds tension like it’s holding in a scream and then finally lets it out in a blaze of euphoria.
Lyrically, Micki isn’t pretending she’s got it all together. She’s tired, overextended, and probably two emails away from snapping, but she sings it with a clarity that cuts through the noise. The production, full of glowing synths and addictive rhythm, becomes a kind of defiant optimism. It’s the sound of refusing to give up, even if you’re running on fumes. There’s something darkly funny about how upbeat the song is; it’s like dancing to your own burnout and realizing, weirdly, that it helps.
And that’s where Micki really nails it. “Power Outage” doesn’t wallow; it understands. It’s not a song that asks for sympathy; it gives you solidarity. Underneath the pop sheen is an artist who’s been through it, who knows how thin the line between exhaustion and euphoria can get. Her voice carries both; a kind of tired warmth that feels deeply human.
By the time the track fades, you’re not exactly recharged, but you do feel just a little less alone in the burnout. That’s the magic trick Micki XO pulls off. She doesn’t cure the exhaustion. She gives it rhythm, melody, and a reason to keep going. In a world where everyone’s running on low battery, “Power Outage” sounds like a spark.
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About the Author
A tenured media critic known working as a ghost writer, freelance critic for various publications around the world, the former lead writer of review blogspace Atop The Treehouse and content creator for Manila Bulletin.
