by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
In a year that most of us would rather forget, Los Angeles’ Dummy made the most of their 2020, releasing both their self-titled EP (Pop Wig Records) and it’s follow up, EP2 (Born Yesterday Records), two exceptional introductions to the band’s experimental art-pop bliss. Without a live show in sight, the band built an audience and a well deserved buzz the old fashioned way, by writing great music that’s both dynamic and captivating. Sometimes though, all that has come before can’t prepare you for what comes next, which could be said about Mandatory Enjoyment, the band’s full length debut, due out October 22nd via their new home at Trouble In Mind Records (Smoke Bellow, Mountain Movers, FACS).
It’s not so much that Dummy have taken a hard stylistic turn away from their EPs as much as they’ve distilled it down to perfection, creating the type of instant classic that comes from a clear vision and impeccable chemistry. The band float in and out of the void, blending together a wide eyed lens of dream pop, krautrock, shoegaze, space-age jazz, and the hazier edges of psych punk to create something with obvious touchstones (Broadcast, Stereolab, Silver Apples) in a vibrant new light. Mandatory Enjoyment opens another a dimension of layered guitars, synths, and steady rhythms to get lost in, one that’s lulling, beautiful, and serene, with just the right amount of caustic energy that conveys the complexity of life that we all feel from time to time.
“Daffodils,” the album’s lead single finds Dummy at their most immediate, riding an urgent textural wave directly into the core of the melting sun. It’s warm and thick in tone with a blanket of whirring synths and guitars that swarm with incessant forward momentum. Swirling together elements of noise pop and fuzzy psych, there are melodic hooks at every turn, flipping through the sonic density with a breezy ease and gracefully alternating (and occasionally harmonizing) vocals. The band travel through “Daffodils” at their own entranced pace, locking you into their headspace only to erupt when you least sense it coming.
Speaking about the song, the band shared:
"It's sort of a conversation, more of a comparison of opposite viewpoints. It's about how easily vanity can take precedence over the greater good. It's about putting on your bucket hat and stepping out into the wilderness, carelessly taking natural beauty for granted and then hopefully falling off a cliff.”
Upcoming Shows:
08/27 - Los Angeles, CA @ Non Plus Ultra w/ Shaki Tavi, Mo Dotti & Dream Crease
09/18 - Los Angeles, CA @ Permanent Roadhouse w/ Coed & Forced Model
10/23 - Oakland, CA @ Golden Bull w/ Cindy & Blue Ocean
11/03 - Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon w/ Dehd