We’ve Been Taken on a Musical Journey Down a Twilight Highway
Sydney’s own indie-pop extraordinaires Dande And The Lion have dropped their sophomore EP “Twilight Highway” off the back of the release of their psychedelically poppy singles “Stardust” and title track “Twilight Highway” earlier in the year. With four separate songwriters coming together to record and produce with Lachlan Mitchell, the EP exudes the electric, live energy that is Dande and the Lion’s trademark; the five-piece assembling their powerful vocal harmonies and catchy rhythms on display once again throughout each track.
The EP’s opening track, “Wasting Time”, packs a vocal and lyrical punch with strong indie rock undertones and a focus on familial relationships, setting the pace for an EP full of reflection, introspection and the multi-faceted nature of human emotions. Title track “Twilight Highway” masterfully combines a bold arrangement of expansive electro-pop synths, a catchy chorus, energetic hook, off centre guitar riffs, all-encompassing percussion, and is as instantly infectious as their first single, making it the road trip track of the year. Its accompanying music video was already released earlier this year, radiating a powerful vaporwave-esque energy.
“I wanted to push Tass out of her comfort zone and get her singing lead. The vision I had for the song was for Tass’ vocals fitting that sultry, grounding vibe, and Bianca’s vocals coming in on the chorus bringing that atmospheric element,” says Nick from the band about “Twilight Highway.”
Shifting focus to all things love and desire, the next two tracks on the EP are full of powerful insights and beautiful rhythmic composition. “Love’s Edge” sheds a unique light on the most powerful emotion known to man, personifying a defeated Love and reassuring it that it is needed by all humans. The thematic idea continues in “Give Me Something” a “wake-up call” to not be afraid of the motions of love and desire to achieve a clearer outlook.
“Stardust” is the perfect close to a versatile and powerful EP, the otherworldly track explores humanity’s significance in the universe, and our desire to explore and learn, adapt and evolve, appreciate and reflect, live with joy and die without fear, and through all of this, to connect with the universe. Reminiscent of Purity Ring and The Preatures, “Stardust” leads the listener on a rollicking ride through the cosmos, embellished by enthralling harmonies and powerful production.
“Stardust came about, accidentally, while trying to play a David Bowie’s Heroes cover off the top of our heads,” said the band. “We started playing a few riffs and became really excited by the sounds that were emerging and became totally immersed in the feeling of what was happening. It sounded nothing like Heroes, so we dropped the cover and explored what was coming into existence. After the lyrics were written the title Stardust made even more sense, but it was only after the song was produced did it click: ‘Ziggy played guitar…’”
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