Richard McLean Giese (born February 9, 1990), known professionally as Social Repose, is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and social media content creator.[2][3][4]
YouTube channel and social media presence
Richie Giese launched his YouTube channel, Social Repose, in April 2011, uploading the video for his original song "Helium House".[5] He posted his first vlog in July of that year, introducing himself and defining Social Repose as a musical project.[6] He later posted more vlogs,[7]comedy,[8][9] and reaction videos.[10][11]
Richie started his online presence appearing largely with no costumes or makeup.[28] He says that his defining moment heralding his emo-alt-goth days was seeing a Mindless Self Indulgence concert in 2007.[29] Taking inspiration from trademark looks such as the Deadmau5 head and World of Warcraft characters,[30] he started to expand his look. He added new elements over time and often filmed vlogs detailing the increasingly intricate outfits,[31] makeup,[32] "goth moth" wings,[33] and accessories.[34]
The controversial costume piece over the course of his career has been his choice of headpiece. He debuted a white feather bonnet in July 2014, which resembled a Native American War bonnet and for which he received widespread criticism.[35][36] Subsequent iterations included replacing it with a black one,[37] then later adding a lighted purple crown and purple feathers.[38] He exchanged the purple crown for a thorn crown, and finally replaced the entire bonnet with what he referred to as a "black gothic hat" which featured upright head feathers, a long feather tail down the back, and decorations including black branches and metalwork.[39] The latest iteration at time of publishing is the same feather arrangement and tail, but with black horns.[40]
He claims that his outfits are meant to be memorable and garner attention for his music, [41] and feels that it's important to pair talent with a memorable look. He considers looking boring "a wasted opportunity."[42]
Musical career
Social Repose began his musical career in 2011, making electronic and synth-pop music, which he released independently through YouTube and Bandcamp.[43] He made his first song, "Helium House," while still in film school, and the accompanying video is the first upload on his YouTube channel. The song was included on his first album, Paradise. He laughingly refers to this portion of his career as "cringey."[44]
Social Repose released Yalta in 2015. This LP heralded a complete shift in direction, featuring softer electronic sounds and calmer melodies.[48] He wrote and produced this transitional record and says it touches on the theme of identity.[49] It is considered alternative or indie, and has been compared to the sounds of Owl City and Panic! at the Disco. He cited Imogen Heap and Twenty One Pilots as big influences for this album.[50]
2017’s Empress EP let Social Repose further refine the dark, often melancholy music he’d verged into with his previous record. He enjoyed adding percussion as a change to the sound.[51] Accompanying surreal[52] videos were intended to create a world around the main characters appearing in "Filthy Pride",[53] "Villain",[54] and "Empress".[55]
In 2018, Social Repose's cover of "You Should See Me in a Crown" was featured on Glamour magazine's YouTube channel, where it was watched by Billie Eilish.[56] She complimented him on his talent and described the video as "impressive".[57]
Social Repose released a video titled "Me" in January 2020,[58] which was the opening track for the Calamity album, released that March.[59] "Me" looked at the irony of how talking about trying to be less selfish is counterintuitive because you're still talking about yourself. Calamity was scaled back, with videos for "What Will You Do When I'm Gone?"[60] and "Is This Love?"[61] being animated line art.
In the years since Calamity, Social Repose has released widely varied covers such as "The Wellerman" shanty[62] and "Teenage Dirtbag".[63] He has also published original singles, such as "Dry Run" with an artistic concept video,[64] and an acoustic renditon of "Gauze".[65]
