Released in 1989, this three-minute song turned pollution, God, and end-of-the-world anxiety into something you could hum — and showed the ’90s what alternative rock would sound like
Buried at the end of Third, this track scrapped the trip-hop rulebook and gave s five minutes of raw nerve. Somewhere between Black Sabbath doom and the grinding pulse of post-industrial sound, Beth Gibbons found the voice of total emotional collapse
Recorded on the edge of a nervous breakdown and personal crisis, this eight-minute confession from Robert Smith shattered the rules of pop music, sparked a wave of shoegaze, and somehow ended up as Tony Hawk’s wedding song — proof that raw vulnerability can outlast any hit
From panic attacks and tsunami nightmares to a masterpiece that became the soundtrack of an anxious generation — here’s how this sing turned Yorke’s personal mantra into cultural prophecy
In 2001, when everyone was blasting Limp Bizkit and chugging Red Bull, Tool dropped a mathematical meditation built on Fibonacci patterns and shamanic rhythms
73% of indie musicians report mental health symptoms — but fans, too, are stuck on loops of aestheticized sadness, mistaking emotional escape for therapy. We break down how music affects the brain, why it helps some people heal, and why for others it becomes emotional anesthesia
They cancel tours, disappear for months, spiral on social media — and still outrun the “healthy” ones grinding out albums like it’s factory work. Because audiences don’t chase consistency anymore; they chase volatility, and drama hits harder than discipline
As culture speeds up, burnout becomes inevitable — and strangely productive. From Trent Reznor’s breakdowns to Lorde’s retreat, here’s why the most honest art emerges only after the flame goes out
A data-backed dive into the ego boom — from studies showing a 30% jump in self-importance traits to the rise of “main character energy” as our favorite modern illusion
We chase teamwork for the spark, but meaning comes from being alone. This is about why collective energy inspires yet often dilutes, and how true creativity lives somewhere between noise and quiet
In a world overdosed on noise and underdosed on meaning, we’ve turned to rhythm as our last form of medicine — self-prescribed, algorithm-approved, and surprisingly effective
Sunburns, Mosh Pits, and Linkin Park’s Glorious Return to Europe’s Biggest Stages — Plus an Interview with Lorna Shore for Our Documentary. P.S. Yes, we’re also totally obsessed with Falling in Reverse.
73% of indie musicians report mental health symptoms — but fans, too, are stuck on loops of aestheticized sadness, mistaking emotional escape for therapy
We’re The OTO — a team obsessed with music, mental health, and everything that happens between your headphones and your head.
We dig into why some songs feel like therapy, why burnout hits like someone pulled the plug on your brain, and why artists are always the first to fall apart and the last to admit it.
We’re here to make it real 🙂↕️
YOU:
And what’s actually going on here?🤓
the oto:
We explore the connection between music and mental health — both through personal experience and through science. We interview artists and other creative people to hear honest thoughts about how creativity changes our state, our choices, and our minds in general. They tell their stories honestly, because the polished, fake versions are something we’ve all seen and read a thousand times already.
And right now we’re making a documentary about how sound hits the mind, mental health, and the brain — for real.
No staged “healing journeys,” no pretty endings — just real conversations with musicians and scientists. We believe music helps you understand yourself and feel less alone — whether you’re the one making it or the one listening to it in your headphones.