An intoxicating, bewitching creative single, distinct yet recognisable as the work of Milwaukee’s indie treasure Christopher Dallman. DARK is a fascinating and evocative new release, built almost entirely out of vocals.
Producer and musician, songwriter and performer, artist – Christopher Dallman has long since been one of modern music’s most adventurous creators. Time and time again Dallman manages to successfully capture an engaging balance between sheer experimentation and passionate connection. The songwriting unites the familiar and the unpredictable – the earworms and the dissonant episodes of unrelenting human outcry.
These qualities are unique to the music – the voice in both lyric and tone is too – and nowhere does all of that shine with more appeal and enchantment than throughout the latest offering DARK.
An early excerpt from the upcoming album ORIGIN STORY, DARK features a distorted and warped array of synths, but actually – everything except the drum line is the sound of Christopher’s voice; the purity of human expression manipulated into a multi-layered sonic soundscape. It’s a seemingly small detail, but impressive and subtle in reinforcing the clear emotional vulnerability at the heart of the writing.
As ever, Christopher blends the poetic and personal, the verses feeling chaotic and intricate, the hook resounding for a more relatable resolve. The structure is also mighty, unexpected but satisfying, and the wave-like rise and fall of intensity and quiet whispers furthers its grip.
The moments at which the melody rises in falsetto style, before the line ‘how deep I go’, are particularly addictive, and pave the way towards the repeating sentiment of ‘no shame’ with intent and power.
Everything about this is original, literally, and yet it still connects in a way that feels relevant to even a listener thousands of miles away. Origin Story will be one to stop the day for – the album comes out in May.
Find Christopher Dallman on Facebook, Instagram & TikTok.
