Captain Dane-O releases new Single

Psychedelic-tinged melodies have been seemingly everywhere you look in the last half-decade, with everything from pop to hip-hop and alternative rock embracing a level of postmodernity that would just as soon have been relegated to the far-left side of the dial ten years ago, but in Captain Dane-O’s “A Long Time Ago,” the stylistic trend finds an entirely unique channel through which to captivate audiences around the globe this season. Captain Dane-O unleashes a plodding, stripped-down indie rock swinger in this single that relies as much on its textural expressiveness as it does its riddle-like lyricism in getting listeners on the edge of their seats.

The groove in this track is driven more by the bassline than it is the percussion, and though the two are tightly mixed and arranged as to create as powerful a joint force as would be possible within the four walls of a recording studio, it isn’t difficult for both professional critics and novice music buffs alike to discern one element from another in this track. There isn’t a spot of muddiness in the master mix, and better yet, “A Long Time Ago” is already a rather cut and dry composition to begin with.

SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/user-262945559/a-long-time-ago

Beyond the cosmetics of the production quality, Captain Dane-O’s aesthetical efficiency in this song is definitely something to be marveled at, mostly because it comes in such strong contrast with what his closest rivals have been putting out in the last couple of years. Hybrid harmonies have been impossible for most of us to escape lately, whether we’re listening to the radio or scanning interesting playlists on popular streaming sites, but “A Long Time Ago” feels neither recycled nor created exclusively to join a growing talent pool in the American underground.

If this is just a sneak preview of what’s still to come from Captain Dane-O in the next few years, which I sincerely hope it is, then I would count on seeing his moniker making indie headlines a lot more often from here on out. “A Long Time Ago” is a fantastic introduction to his sound, as well as his artistry in general, and while it’s hardly the only track on Monster in the Addict worth checking out this spring, I think it gives audiences a pretty good idea of what they’re getting into with this singer/songwriter. He’s got a lot going for him in this single, and I can’t wait to see where it takes his career next.

Nicole Killian