Heute erscheint Free Energy, das jüngste Album der Avant-Pop-Combo DUMMY aus Los Angeles. Exklusiv für Popmonitor hat die Band die zwölf neuen Songs kommentiert …
INTRO-UB
Heavily inspired by Gui.tar’s Sunkissed, the demo started as an experiment reversing some guitar chords in ableton. The joyous drum machine and vocal loops herald the dancey atmosphere of the record. We wanted to make Free Energy more physical, alive, and inviting, embodying the spirit of our live performance.
SOONISH
One of the first songs we wrote for Free Energy, our idea was something in the lineage of dancey shoegaze, referencing our favorites, MBV, with the title. The popular modern permutation of shoegaze tends to lean heavily into masculine energy, but we wanted to bring back the more androgynous, the mixing of masculine and feminine. Having the chance to perform this song live several times gave us the insight to hone and distill it, an opportunity we haven’t really had on previous releases.
UNSHAPED ROAD
Early on, we were inspired to write a more sub-heavy and downtempo song, pulling from some of our favorites like Bowery Electric and Pablo’s Eye. We layered live drums onto the samples from the Korg EM1. We sampled Joe’s reversed-loop guitar to achieve a warped violin sound.
OPALINE BUBBLETEAR
This track serves to set the stage for Blue Dada, featuring a characteristically Dummy ambient improvisation. Dear friend Cole Pulice contributed the soaring Saxophone. We had the honor of performing these two tracks live with Cole several times in the Bay Area prior to recording the album.
BLUE DADA
This was one of the first songs that really came together for Free Energy, with the idea of cross-wiring genres, between ambient dance music, a la Seefeel, and revved up drone-pop, a la Dunedin Sound. Playing shows and performing this song live so many times shaped and honed this song into a razor sharp version of the original concept.
NULLSPACE
The melody was written as a stripped down demo by Nathan. Over a few days break, in between our two-week studio time we had for recording and mixing, a new idea for the instrumental was demoed by Alex, featuring the bubbly synth sequence and drum programming on the Korg EM1. That drum machine we bought second-hand from a friend, years ago, ended up becoming integral to the sound of the record.
MINUS WORLD
The bridge features another characteristically Dummy feedback section. For us, feedback is a source of infinite possibilities, offering inherent randomness and a really expressive sound. For this song, we wanted the feedback to take over, leaving all semblance of song for a few seconds, before crashing back down at the end. It’s rare a modern band really inspires Dummy directly but this tune’s initial instrumental was inspired by watching Lewsberg’s set from Gonerfest last year that was streamed on YouTube.
DIP IN THE LAKE
Our version of a Velvet Underground song paired with Francesco Messina piano loops and pulsating Cluster synths. This track and the following, Sudden Flutes, went through countless evolutions during the writing of the record. Eventually we decided to treat them as separate songs, but like two sides of the same coin. Dip in the Lake offers a spacious, dream-like soundscape, before eventually starting to build tension for the ensuing drop-off.
SUDDEN FLUTES
The final act, a culmination of energy. Described as free falling. The instrumental was recorded live in one take at Studio 22. Outro’d by a wind-synth composition by Cole Pulice.
PSYCHIC BATTERY
Wanting to explore more sparse and spacious sounds for our new album, we ran guitar straight through our Arturia Minifreak’s filter, and some effects, to achieve the pad sound. After hearing Joe’s original demo, Alex suggested adding an instrumental intro inspired by dub techno. The track remained true to the demo we made that day, at home. Overall song is hugely inspired by a Hydroplane compilation that was released last year.
NINE CLEAN NAILS
After the year of touring on our first LP, we consciously wanted to be less reliant on the motorik beat, which had become part of our signature sound. This track took shape as almost a callback to that driving, ever forward-moving groove, but with a pop confidence we haven’t reached before. The guitars bob back and forth, conversing throughout the verse before convening for the chorus. For the drums, we created a loop from a recording of Alex, then overdubbed some expressive fills, a technique we’ve never used before. We really wanted to diversify the rhythms for this album, capturing some intense live performances in the studio, but also experimenting more with making samples and layering drums.
GODSPIN
Solidifying the fixation on mesmerizing loops, Alex composed the instrumental with a cycling sequence on a synthetic acoustic guitar patch. As the track progresses, the sonic stage is taken over by a collage of field recordings, captured during time on the road, on tour across the US and EU. Eventually the whirlwind of sound reaches overwhelming cacophony, reflecting the overwhelming onslaught of modern life, and giving a glimpse into life on the road.
DUMMY
Free Energy
(Trouble in Mind / Cargo)
VÖ: 06.09.2024
