Narc. Magazine Online
Reliably informed
John Edgar prepares to release his startling new EP
Image by @ascenicoverlook
Having tasted success with previous releases and receiving wide airplay across all the channels that matter, alt. indie songwriter The Dawdler is back with a gorgeous new EP, Sign of Growth.
Sign of Growth is the musical version of losing yourself in a forest on a misty day, leaves crunching underfoot and raindrops on your coat. Pulling you in with gentle guitar and dreamy vocals, the beautifully foreboding title track allows you to drift before suddenly breaking into cosmic synths that whip you out into some other plane.
Crocodile is a stand out track, one that speaks to the rise of fascism and the anxiety inducing polarisation of the socio-political landscape. “I’ve never seen a human body explode into dust / I’ve never played chess with a crocodile”. For all its beauty, there is an overall sense of foreboding if you listen closely: something’s coming for you. “The options presented in the lyrics are to face the fears head on and fight, or to somehow retreat into the solar system – dancing with the moon and sleeping on Saturn’s rings.” Explains John Edgar, the man behind The Dawdler.
The EP also features previously released singles Lava Lamps and Dark Clouds, and Edgar has also collaborated with cellist and vocalist Ceitidh Mac, who provides haunting vocals on We Take Space and Don’t Get Blue.
Sign of Growth feels like a retreat, an escape to some other realm hidden just behind the walls of our reality.
The Dawdler releases Sign of Growth via Akira Records on 20th November
