I like the above interpretations, but for the sake of diversity, here's how I interpreted the song when I first heard it. (I interpreted it in a few ways.)
1.) The song seems to be narrated from the P.O.V. of someone who is in love with someone with dementia. Judging from the lines:
Big surprise, I'm a ghost keeping out of sight
Rub your eyes, you're a star in the summer night
This is love, this is war, it's insanity
Dementia, oh dementia
They sometimes feel like a ghost because their loved one has occasions where they don't recognize the narrator, or do not realize that the narrator is present at all. Sometimes, the narrator's loved one thinks that they are somewhere else, such as in outer space. Then there are the lines:
Through the skies you're en route at the speed of light
So realize this chaos in the air tonight
This is love, this is war, this is pure insanity
Dementia, you're driving me crazy
Often the narrator is frustrated with their loved one, but they are still confident that they truly love each other, and the narrator often tries to assist their loved one in discerning what is true and what is imagined.
2.) Another interpretation I made of the song is that it is actually from the point of view of someone with dementia, and they often think that they see a lover of their's who died years ago, but their lover could have just as easily moved away and not be dead. They themselves are unsure whether or not everything they see is true. What proves that their lover is likely dead are the lines:
Big surprise, I'm a ghost keeping out of sight
Rub your eyes, you're a star in the summer night
This is love, this is war, it's insanity
Dementia, oh dementia
The first line could refer to their loved one speaking rhetorically, saying they are indeed dead, or it could refer to the fact that the narrator feels like a ghost because they cannot interact with the illusion that is their lover. The second line refers to the fact that their lover is likely in Heaven. Despite this, the narrator is not sure about everything they see being imaginary or not.
I also think that the second stanza of the song is just a sort of run-through of their daily life and how they find it difficult to focus or discern truth from falsehood. Line about keeping pace may refer to them hoping they can maintain their focus long enough to do certain tasks or maintain a grip on reality, or it may refer to them hoping they can maintain a grip on the image of their loved one, either in their memory or in their sight. It could also mean that the narrator thinks that certain conditions can bring about the image of their loved one.
3.) This song may just be in the same vein as Swimming in Miami and be about you finding "your zone" where nothing else matters and just being blown away by your own thoughts.
Either way, this is a great song. The new album does seem to have some potential. I definitely agree, though, that the new sound is different; it took some getting used to.
I like the above interpretations, but for the sake of diversity, here's how I interpreted the song when I first heard it. (I interpreted it in a few ways.)
1.) The song seems to be narrated from the P.O.V. of someone who is in love with someone with dementia. Judging from the lines:
Big surprise, I'm a ghost keeping out of sight Rub your eyes, you're a star in the summer night This is love, this is war, it's insanity Dementia, oh dementia
They sometimes feel like a ghost because their loved one has occasions where they don't recognize the narrator, or do not realize that the narrator is present at all. Sometimes, the narrator's loved one thinks that they are somewhere else, such as in outer space. Then there are the lines:
Through the skies you're en route at the speed of light So realize this chaos in the air tonight This is love, this is war, this is pure insanity Dementia, you're driving me crazy
Often the narrator is frustrated with their loved one, but they are still confident that they truly love each other, and the narrator often tries to assist their loved one in discerning what is true and what is imagined.
2.) Another interpretation I made of the song is that it is actually from the point of view of someone with dementia, and they often think that they see a lover of their's who died years ago, but their lover could have just as easily moved away and not be dead. They themselves are unsure whether or not everything they see is true. What proves that their lover is likely dead are the lines:
Big surprise, I'm a ghost keeping out of sight Rub your eyes, you're a star in the summer night This is love, this is war, it's insanity Dementia, oh dementia
The first line could refer to their loved one speaking rhetorically, saying they are indeed dead, or it could refer to the fact that the narrator feels like a ghost because they cannot interact with the illusion that is their lover. The second line refers to the fact that their lover is likely in Heaven. Despite this, the narrator is not sure about everything they see being imaginary or not.
I also think that the second stanza of the song is just a sort of run-through of their daily life and how they find it difficult to focus or discern truth from falsehood. Line about keeping pace may refer to them hoping they can maintain their focus long enough to do certain tasks or maintain a grip on reality, or it may refer to them hoping they can maintain a grip on the image of their loved one, either in their memory or in their sight. It could also mean that the narrator thinks that certain conditions can bring about the image of their loved one.
3.) This song may just be in the same vein as Swimming in Miami and be about you finding "your zone" where nothing else matters and just being blown away by your own thoughts.
Either way, this is a great song. The new album does seem to have some potential. I definitely agree, though, that the new sound is different; it took some getting used to.