05 August 2022 - 0 Comments

Elliott Dawson (he/him) is a songwriter based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington). Dawson is best known for his work with guitar-pop foursome DOONS, a staple of the Pōneke indie scene since 2018. With his new solo project, Dawson makes a stylistic shift, creating angry art rock inspired both by British post rock and south London jazz.

ELLIOT DAWSON
Bald Spot
out August 2, 2022

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Bald Spot is a combination of jutting time signatures, loose saxophone and a tense lyrical delivery.

"I think it's one of the weirdest and most technically complex things I've ever made," says Dawson. "I was trying to create a real natural blend between organic and inorganic sounds. I produced the entire album on my laptop using midi sounds and drum samples. With my band I then went into the studio and re-recorded all those same parts with live instruments, following which I went through and decided what to keep, what to cut, and what to layer together. "

"I think Bald Spot best illustrates that approach, the drums are live sounding but driving and machine-esque in their feel. Also, with the big saxophone lines in the chorus, they're layered up with live flute and some siren-type beat synths to create a tone that's both organic and inorganic at the same time."

One of the main influences on Bald Spot was Oneohtrix Point Never's official soundtrack for 2017's Good Time. "I love how large and anxiety-inducing that album is, and I wanted to carry over that energy against the more jazz heavy influence, which is different but adds to the anxiety when it changes into odd time."

Reflecting on the Bald Spot Dawson notes "It's not often that I feel like something sounds exactly like I wanted it to from idea through to execution, and that's a massive credit to James Goldsmith and my band for helping it get across the line, and hopefully a sign of how the rest of the album sounds."

In celebration of Hang Low, Elliot Dawson is hitting the road, traveling throughout Aotearoa stopping in at:

- Valhalla in Wellington on September 2

- Bark in Dunedin on September 16

- Space Academy in Christchurch on September 17

- Wine Cellar in Auckland on October 15

Photo Credit: Kenzie Pigman

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