hifivicky
so excited to hear new stuff from Dumb Things, loved their previous record, the song "Need to Know" is on every playlist I make 💙🎶👍
Favorite track: Self Help.
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about
Brisbane/Meanjin indie-pop outfit Dumb Things return with the first taste of their new album Self Help, a jangly ode to self-improvement set to release on November 3 via Coolin’ By Sound.
The title track from Dumb Things' third album is a beautifully hazy slice of sub-trop jangle pop rife with gentle earworm hooks and melodies, telling the modern day story about the quest for self-improvement during a low romantic ebb.
What critics have said about ‘Self Help’ so far:
“The song’s wonderful laidback shuffle and strum harks back to the heyday of Flying Nun guitar pop and their trans-Tasman contemporaries such as The Go-Betweens and in more recent years Dick Diver, Lower Plenty, Twerps etc.”
Doubtful Sounds (Aus)
“Influenced by the droll poetic style of David Berman, it’s a slice of breezy, dusty pop with a streak of yearning melancholy, the narrator looking to self-improvement as a remedy to past mistakes”
Various Small Flames (UK)
“Instantly ‘Self Help’ feels like classic Dumb Things, that mixture of bright-jangling choruses and downbeat, thoughtful vocals that underpins so much of the best Antipodean indie-pop… The return of Dumb Things contrastingly intelligent take on pop music might have taken a lot longer than expected, thankfully on this evidence it was well worth the wait.”
For The Rabbits (UK)
"I knew almost instantly that I was going to love this track from Dumb Things; the song opens with that forlorn, wistful Aussie twang, sort of weary yet filled with hope on the horizon. Then, the vocals jumped into the picture, working somewhere between Malkmus and Pete Yorn, with faint hints of backing vocals twisting the pop knife deep into your soul”
Austin Town Hall (US)
“[‘Self Help’] drizzles glorious Aussie slacker rock with tight, jangled riffs that seem to collapse with indie-chic lethargy around the always slightly disinterested vocal delivery. In other words, the Dumb Things are at their very best!”
Janglepophub (Sth Afr)
“There’s always been a competitive love-hate relationship between NZ and Australia and music is no exception. But its just a fact that the Aussie do NZ low-key jangling alt-pop better than most NZ bands these days. Proof in point is this new single called ‘Self Help’, the title track of a forthcoming new Dumb Things album.”
Pop Lib (NZ)
lyrics
Lyrics
Lately I’ve been working hard on my personality
Cos you got to keep it up, to keep it together ah ha
Been trying to find the time to put the work in
Yeah, I’ve been working out how to work it out
And all this sunburnt weather makes me think we should get back together forever
Not all progress is progressive but I’m doing better, doing better
And I’ve been reading Self Help
Like I just can’t help myself
I’ll follow black and white sheep
Straight through your wall of sleep,
Off a cliff and out to sea
Yeah, we’ll dive for your memory
We’ll calm the breeze together, forever and ever
I know all dreams don’t come true but I miss you dear, I do
And I’ve been reading Self Help
Like I just can’t help myself
credits
released November 3, 2023
Track Credits:
Recorded and mixed by Cameron Smith at Incremental Records.
Mastered by Cameron Smith.
Dumb Thing are:
Adam Vincent – guitar/vocals
Madeleine Keinonen – guitar/vocals
James Southey – guitar/vocals
Andrew Robinson – bass
Patrick Hill – drums
“At Your Leisure” feels less like a definitive statement than a question in process of being asked, one with an answer worth pursuing just as it says on the cover. Bandcamp Album of the Day Jul 27, 2018
Dreamy, intricate guitar pop from Oakland's Absent City; splashes of accordion, sitar, lap steel, and mandolin add textural richness. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 26, 2020
The indie pop on Songs From Another Life sounds confident yet delicate, and the strummy and jangly guitars makes me long for spring. Some songs sound like straight up Teenage Fanclub worship, but in a good way. Fans of The Byrds and Big Star will probably dig this as well. Niek || Add To Wantlist
