Dugong Jr Is Sick And Tired Of Feeling 'On My Own'
Dugong Jr. Photo supplied.
Melbourne-based producer Dugong Jr has dropped his new single On My Own, and it’s a feast for the senses. It’s a track that’ll get your head bobbing and your hips shaking - that’s a guarantee. Just try and keep up with the different changes throughout the track, will you?
If there was a song title that was apt for 2020, it’s On My Own. The soundscapes of On My Own are slightly teeth-chattering - there’s a high-pitched noise throughout that I feel captures the sensation of 2020. Everything else about On My Own is pleasant, but it’s hard to get completely comfortable while listening to the track. There’s something that’s always evolving in the sounds he’s using - then it’s over.
Speaking about the track, Dugong Jr says it started with the bass. “The whole idea for On My Own was built off the arpeggiating bassline. It had such a groove to it, so when I was writing it I really just kind of rode it out and started designing sounds to sit around it. The track had such a melancholy feel to it until I added in the piano chords, and then all of a sudden it was kind of straddling a line between a chilled out house track and a late-night R&B track.
“I guess if you had to describe the sound palette, the vibe I was going for was to create my own interpretation of a track that sits in a space somewhere between Kanye’s Flashing Lights and Sade’s No Ordinary Love.” That’s quite an eclectic pair of tracks to base the soundscape on - and it’s apt. I haven’t quite heard anything like On My Own, but that’s to be expected from Dugong Jr. He’s always run in his own lane, rather than trying to copy those around him.
What does it mean to release music in 2020? Most artists are collaborating with people via the Internet, and it’s a strange phenomenon to witness unfold. Music has been changed irreparably by the events of this year, for better and for worse. And yet, I can’t help but feel like Dugong Jr hasn’t taken much notice of what’s going on in the world. He’ll continue to push his music to the limits, and that’s the way he likes it. In some way, his evolving sound is a constant. An old friend that’s always changing their hairstyle. Someone you keep in contact with that’s always on a new adventure.
Check out On Your Own. It’s another track from his upcoming EP Principle Pleasure, which comes out October 23rd. I think Dugong Jr’s music is always on the cutting edge of the sounds emerging from Australian electronica, and you’d be well-served keeping an eye out for the EP. Chances are, it’ll influence the next few months of electronic music in Australia - he’s always a couple of steps ahead of the curve.