As my bank account slowly continues to dwindle down to nothing I can’t help but think back to the good old days of 2008, when finances were about the same but at least the music was killer. Now if I really want to find the good stuff it’s not as simple as just turning on the radio, it’s more like slowly digging through playlists and artists and slowly accumulating a roster over the course of months only to still have about 6 hours worth of music total. It is an arduous task that, while rewarding, is too much work for most, which is why they simply complain about brakence not dropping. In times like this it makes me nostalgic…
…for things like this. Darling I Dreamt initially caught my attention because I thought his approach to post-hyperpop was top notch on Severed Ties. It was a hell of an introduction that brought clean mixes and great pacing to the table, which for anyone else would’ve been a huge pain to followup, and yet here we are on round 2 of a different approach. Nothing Like It is sort of the evil counterpart to his last release What You Want, but the common ground they share is a unique blend of recession pop and pot-hyperpop experimentation that I’ve not heard a single person come close to. What You Want brought a very Lady Gaga vibe to the table, but today we’re flipping the switch for something that feels like an intensely dark twist on Justin Timberlake. The soundscape comes on incredibly strong, admittedly in a way that was overwhelming on first listen, but once you can really soak it in and pick it apart you find that the choices here are nothing short of mesmerizing. Choices like the flute-adjacent synth solo that evokes snake charmer imagery, or the drums that despite being a normal kit also evoked a similar feel. All this blended seamlessly with vocal cuts and layers on layers of backing vocal swells before the lead vocals even start.
Lyrically above all else, this is a song chasing indulgence. In Darling I Dreamt’s own words “2009-2012 pop music all felt like ‘Let’s go out and party because the world sucks and we may never own a house’ and growing up on it meant that going clubbing, for me, took on a kind of mythical feeling like it would solve all my problems if I could go out every weekend!”
In reality, when we fast forward to the current day we aren’t exactly living that dream, and that’s where Nothing Like It falls, in the middle of that chase. It’s incredibly interesting, almost like a Kesha song but with a completely different feel, and it sticks the landing flawlessly. Bringing thumping energy, a cocky feel, and a phenomenal vocal performance to back it all up, the overall feel of it all is nothing short of “lets go get fucked up” (but in like a cool, classy, Hollywood kind of way, not a lame, gross, “your uncle has a serious drinking problem” kind of way).
At the end of the day, “Experimental Pop” is the thing that gets me excited these days. It’s a vague term, but that’s because it can mean a lot of stuff. To call this song “post-hyperpop” feels misleading, but it scratches the same itch for reasons I can’t totally put words to. Darling I Dreamt is an artist who consistently walks a line that fits squarely in the middle of the AuraLink vision of what music *should* be. Each release is a fresh perspective on what music can be in a cohesive but distinctly different way, and as far as I’m concerned that’s peak artistry. So as always, I say well done to Darling I Dreamt, and don’t forget us when the streams skyrocket, because it’s only a matter of time.
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