Electropop Duo Summore Delivers Deep Emotions And Catchy Melody On New Single “Dust”
With “Dust”, the Ohio-based band unveils the lead single from their upcoming sophomore record New Pain.
Today marks the release of Summore’s latest single “Dust”, which will be part of the band’s second album New Pain, coming out in August this year. And “Dust” proves to be an instantly listenable single with more than meets the eye. The Ohio-based duo consisting of Julie and Justin Rose uses Synth-Pop to explore darker moments in full emotive detail. They are a refreshing twist, and although they have a lot in common with genres like Darkwave, Coldwave, and EBM, they actually describe themselves as Electropop, with comparisons having been made to British trip-hop artists Portishead. This is definitely a project that is masterful at adding their own unique touches, and listening to the band’s latest single it’s obvious the amount of creative care that has gone into it.
The comparison to Portishead is apt in their current single. Julie Rose’s vocals are melodic and yet pain-filled in contrast to the synth-based instrumentals that without this sorrowful melody could go either way between happy and sad. It suits the topic as “Dust” is, in fact about the culmination of a near-fatal car accident – a release of the intensity of feeling that comes when we are reminded of the fragility of our own mortality and the need to express in music what words cannot. The track is based around the memorable and thought-provoking line “instead of a diamond, we turn to dust”, a sharp reminder of humanity’s smallness in the face of forces bigger than ourselves, especially when reminded of it at our darkest moments.
The single is also a great example of how the duo embraces Electropop when they could have simply pigeonholed themselves in the Darkwave, Synthwave, or EBM categories. These genres have without a doubt a brilliant creative mark on their music, but “Dust” is proof that music can play with darkness in a variety of surprising ways – and doesn’t always have to be aligned with the goth culture that these genre inspirations first came out of. The moving and realistic topic shows how the same melodic practices can carry a host of different emotions and moods. In fact, it’s a real twist to have such a fresh topic explored in this manner. However, there is no point at which the track gets too heavy. The members of Summore clearly have a talent for using metaphor and imagery to weave a picture of impermanence that makes the theme a cleansing and emotional release. “Dust” could be pretty heavy, but it’s never so heavy that it stops being resonant.
It’s not just lyrically that they manage to stand out though. Vocally, Julie Rose carries with a unique flair not only the themes of the track but a deliciously catchy melody – all over a minimalistic and pulsing baseline that wavers across a distinctive chord progression. The duo’s debut album Surfaces set itself up as a tough act to follow. On tracks like “Disorder”, one of the album’s more low-key moments, the gently conversational yet flexible attitude she manages to embody was already evident. On “Dust”, this has developed further and it’s nice to see it take form as a lead single. The track is hypnotic, moody, and sorrowful at one moment, until at another, Rose’s voice breaks into emotive fry that signifies a real depth of talent and versatility. A stripped-back, post-chorus breakdown hints at a few retro influences yet the track stays firmly at the cutting edge of what’s being released. Some vocoder work towards the end also shakes things up unexpectedly – yet all of this still manages to tie together with the floating melody and sad yet thought-provoking lyrics.
Overall, this is a modern, slick, and relatable single that lingers in your head long after you stop listening to it the first time. It’s one which perfectly straddles the line between Electropop, Synth-pop, and New Wave’s darker progeny. Summore is going from strength to strength at the moment, but “Dust” is also hugely enjoyable on its own if you’re not familiar with their previous work.
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Summore (US)
Featured Image by Summore
