Embracer

"Embracer" is the fourth song from The Smashing Pumpkins' 2023 rock opera, ATUM. Billy Corgan has stated that it is a very personal song to him, as it is about faith. Within the ATUM story, this song returns to the viewpoint of the character June in outer space.

Synopsis
In the "Butterfly Suite" episode of the Thirty-Three podcast, we learn how June is deeply in love with Shiny, both of whom have been exiled into space in different places. Shiny one day punches in the code on his spacecraft that ignites the "The March of Life" – a "noble suicide" of sorts that sends his spacecraft into the sun.

In "Embracer", the narrative returns to June while she is in space. She sees Shiny is on The March of Life, but feels she must do something about it. Recalling from earlier in the story, June purposely put herself into space exile just to be near Shiny, and thus must decide what to do when his time came. As typical for her, she first sings to him, realizing his place in her life, his importance as an artist and a muse to the people of Earth. Ultimately though she decides against taking The March of Life with him.

June refuses to accept Shiny's decision to die and instead takes action. Unlike other exile spacecrafts, Jane's was secretly equipped with a device allowing her to send anonymous messages down to Earth. Using what is a primitive message board in this story, June sends a cryptic message that only fans of Shiny would recognize. The problem is Shiny, as a 20-year exile, had long been forgotten and all written accounts of him (digital and otherwise) have been purged. Corgan said he was "snuffed out" by algorithms along with his older portrayals Zero and Glass. The message nonetheless states Shiny has taken The March of Life and is hoping someone can change his course. Although she has faith that she can save the man she loves, as Corgan puts it, "it's the equivalent of putting a message in a bottle into the ocean and hoping somebody finds it."