On his new single ‘Plato’s Cave’, Boulder-based artist Robert Jordan takes the philosophical image of people mistaking shadows for reality, and turns it into an energetic rock song about questioning what we think we know. But instead of treating Plato as something distant or academic, the artist makes the allegory feel immediate, framing enlightenment as an active choice.
Taken from his current album Morning Sun, ‘Plato’s Cave’ is driven by strong hooks and loose, joyous vamping that prevents the concept from becoming heavy-handed. There’s an enthusiasm running through the track that makes its central message feel more like an invitation as it plays.
His wider work draws openly from philosophical inquiry, but ‘Plato’s Cave’ demonstrates that intellectually ambitious songwriting doesn’t need to sound solemn. The music carries movement and optimism, giving the ideas space to breathe without asking us to stop enjoying ourselves in order to understand them.
Multi-instrumentalist David Snider provides the instrumental foundation, helping give the song its lively, organic character. The performance has a lived-in quality, particularly in the improvised passages, where the track seems willing to follow its own momentum rather than remain tightly confined.
But at its heart, ‘Plato’s Cave’ is about liberation. The allegory becomes a metaphor for the present, offering a reminder to question appearances, resist comfortable illusions and remain curious about whatever might exist beyond them.
Here, Robert Jordan turns one of philosophy’s oldest invitations to wake up into something you could actually dance to.