Dawes
“Oh Brother”
Track-by-Track
Mr. Los Angeles
Just poking a little fun at parts of LA culture knowing full well that it’s applicable to a much larger swath of my generation. All while admitting my own complicity in the nonsense
Front Row Seat
We seem to be thoroughly convinced we’re living in end times and yet despite it (or maybe even because of it) I think we’d all mostly agree we’d prefer being alive now over any other time in history. This song tries to confront our collective mixed feelings on the subject.
Still Strangers Sometimes
A song about the spiritual investigation of long term relationships. How a part of ourselves will be unknowable forever, despite our deep connections and intimate understandings of each other.
Surprise!
The things you hope for never arrive as anticipated, if at all. The things that scare you are not what you should have actually been worried about. The person you were wouldn’t recognize the person you are, but not in the ways you’d expect. It’s a song about getting older and taking stock in how elegantly (or not) we’ve all navigated the terrain.
House Parties
A nostalgic song. A song about how true cultural experiences aren’t in the tourist traps but within human connections among specific communities. It’s a goofy lyric but the sentiment is not. We can all relate to feeling truly alive at a dive bar or a stranger’s home, getting access into a universe we didn’t even know existed…Whether across the planet or just one town over.
King of the Never-Wills
About how one handles and adapts to a fall from grace or feeling like you missed your moment. And, as the verses go on, the roles alcohol and addiction take on in that process. The darker side of the hometown hero archetype.
The Game
Trying to hone in on what separates the lifers from the fakers in my estimation. Also trying to acknowledge some of the hurdles and barriers that non-white male songwriters have to deal with to get their due. It’s sung in reverence - not pretending to know what someone else’s experience is like, but in awe of what I’ve witnessed.
Enough Already
A wrestling match between knowing objectively I have to be one of the luckiest songwriters to have ever lived, and yet still hearing that voice in my head telling me it’s not enough, telling me to compare my situation to those doing much better than me, telling me I have to be more ambitious…This song is an effort to balance both perspectives. To realize I couldn’t be sane without my gratitude, but I couldn’t do this job at all if I didn’t let that ambition steer the ship once in a while.
Hilarity Ensues
A cynical song, but hopefully loving as well. Recognizing that a lot of the ridiculous shenanigans we put ourselves through are truly all for naught. If we zoom out far enough, it’s all relatively silly. But maybe, in a round about way, that recognition can allow us to enjoy the absurdity of it all the more.
###