Number Go Up

"Number Go Up" is a multi-layered satirical critique that uses the mechanics of the hit roguelike poker game Balatro to explore themes of addiction, corporate greed, and the gamification of modern life. At its surface, it celebrates the dopamine rush of the game, where players use illegal poker hands and joker cards to achieve astronomically high scores. However, The Stupendium uses this premise to dismantle the 'infinite growth' mindset of capitalism.

The central theme is the futility of accumulation. The lyrics constantly equate the 'score' in the game to real-world metrics of success—salaries, subscriber counts, and calorie counting. The phrase 'Number Go Up' satirizes the crypto-bro and stock market mentality where the line on the graph rising is the only moral imperative, regardless of the human cost ('mice in a bag'). The song suggests that this pursuit is a distraction from the 'unbearably dry' nature of day-to-day existence.

A profound nihilism underscores the high-energy beat. The line 'the biggest of figures won't impress the digger when digging your hole in the ground' serves as a memento mori, reminding the listener that wealth and high scores are meaningless in the face of death. The song posits that we fill our lives with 'fluff' and 'numerical highs' to avoid facing this reality, turning us into 'infinite jesters' performing for an empty theater.

The song opens with a cynical condemnation of mundane existence, describing life as a tedious, gray drag where people fight like rats in a bag just for the right to brag about their misery. The narrator, adopting the persona of a demonic ringmaster or dealer, invites the listener to escape this drudgery through the thrill of the gamble. The only thing that matters is the score; the higher it gets, the more valid your existence becomes, even as you bicker and claw your way to the top. As the stakes rise, the lyrics describe a chaotic poker table where unsuspecting players bet their dinners and livelihoods, unchecked by consequence until they crash.

The chorus erupts into a hypnotic chant about the central mechanic: watching the number go up. It promises that this rising integer is 'wonderful stuff' that will make your cup runneth over, urging the player to blindly trust the process. The obsession takes hold—you must make the number go up, thinking it will eventually be enough, but it never is. The verses continue to mock the player's desperation, comparing the chase for a 'numerical high' to a drug, whether it's a salary, calories, or boxes on a balance sheet. The song mocks the modern obsession with metrics, from social media subscribers to bank accounts, questioning why we blast through 'ceilings' only to find ourselves with 'plastering eyes,' blinded by the debris of our own ambition.

In the bridge, the tone shifts to a darker reality check. The narrator warns that the 'biggest of figures won't impress the digger when digging your hole in the ground,' reminding us that death is the ultimate equalizer that no high score can beat. Despite this grim realization, the song loops back into the addiction. Stuck in a rut? Just play another hand. The cycle repeats, with the player urged to 'shoot like a star or fold like a quitter,' trapped in a loop of shuffling, betting, and chasing a 'straight flush with the green' until the inevitable bust.

"Number Go Up" was released on May 24, 2024, as a tribute to the indie game Balatro, which had become a viral sensation earlier that year. The Stupendium (Greg Holgate) wrote, performed, and produced the video, which is notable for its technical ambition.

The video's production marked a significant milestone for The Stupendium's channel as it was the debut of "Armando," a cinema-grade motion control robotic arm (a Cinebot Mini). This technology allowed The Stupendium to film themselves playing multiple characters (various 'Jokers' and clowns) seated around a single poker table in the same continuous shot. The camera moves perfectly repeatably, allowing for seamless compositing of the different characters. The Stupendium noted in the behind-the-scenes commentary that this was a 'trial by fire,' involving a continuous 3-and-a-half-minute camera move with about 60 different passes to get every character's action synchronized. The track features a saxophone solo by frequent collaborator CK9C (ChaoticCanineCulture) and a beat produced by Sinima Beats, with mixing by OxygenBeats.

The song is written in a fast 4/4 swing time, typical of the electro-swing genre. The rhythm is bouncy and driving, creating a sense of forward momentum that matches the 'runaway train' feeling of a gambling streak.

The rhyme scheme is highly complex and often internal. For example: 'Shoot like a star or fold like a quitter / Somebody once told me about all the glitters.' The Stupendium often chains rhymes across multiple bars, using assonance and consonance to maintain flow. A standout section is the 'vowel movement' stanza, which relies on the phonetic similarity between 'stack', 'fact', 'crap', and 'back' to build tension before the punchline. The rhythmic pacing accelerates during the verses to mimic panic and slows down during the bridge to emphasize the sombre realization of mortality.

The Stupendium employs their signature Cabaret Rap style, blending fast-paced, intricate rhyming with a theatrical, vintage aesthetic. The track relies heavily on Electro Swing elements—brassy horn sections, swinging drums, and a bouncing bassline—that evoke the roaring 20s, a time historically associated with excess and eventual economic crash.

Lyrically, the song is a masterclass in multisyllabic rhyme schemes and double entendres. Lines like 'historic, meteoric, alas my poor Yorick' blend pop culture, Shakespeare, and rhythm effortlessly. The vocal delivery shifts rapidly between a smooth, charismatic crooner (the dealer/tempter) and a frantic, manic victim of the game, mirroring the highs and lows of gambling addiction. The use of patter song techniques allows for a density of information that mimics the overwhelming speed of the game's multiplier mechanics.

"Number Go Up" cemented The Stupendium's reputation as the premier artist for indie game anthems. It resonated deeply with the Balatro community, which itself was a cultural phenomenon in 2024 for its addictive gameplay. The video's technical achievement with the motion control arm was widely praised by other creators and reacted to by VFX channels like Corridor Digital (on their subreddit/community hubs).

The song is frequently cited in discussions about 'dopamine culture' and the specific malaise of modern digital life where 'number go up' is the only metric of happiness. It stands as one of the most popular fan works associated with Balatro, helping to extend the game's cultural footprint beyond just gaming circles into music and animation enthusiasts.

The song is dense with gambling imagery doubling as life metaphors:

• The Poker Table: Represents the 'market' or society where everyone is competing. The various clowns played by The Stupendium represent different facets of the chaotic human psyche or different 'Joker' cards from the game (e.g., the greedy businessman, the desperate vagrant).
• "Number Go Up": A mantra for the dopamine loop. It symbolizes the hollow pursuit of 'more'—more money, more fame, more engagement—without any tangible end goal.
• "Vowel Movement": A clever pun in the line 'Affluence turning to crap is one little vowel movement away.' 'Affluence' (wealth) becomes 'Effluence' (sewage/waste) by changing the 'A' to 'E'. It symbolizes how quickly wealth can turn to garbage or how close high society is to the gutter.
• "Plastering Eyes": A reference to 'blasting through a ceiling' (success). When you break a ceiling, debris falls in your eyes. It suggests that breaking records often leaves you blinded and hurt rather than triumphant.
• The Digger: A metaphor for death (the gravedigger), the ultimate check on human ambition.

"Number Go Up": The titular phrase is repeated as a hypnotic chant in the chorus. It acts as the song's primary hook and the ideological engine driving the narrative. Its repetition creates a trance-like state, mimicking the focus of a gambler locked into a slot machine or a gamer optimizing a build.

"Fold": The concept of folding (quitting) is presented with disdain ('fold like a quitter'), reinforcing the toxic 'never give up' mentality of the sunk cost fallacy.

"Wonderful Stuff": This phrase is used ironically to describe the rising numbers, highlighting the artificial joy derived from digital increments.