He is weird. He is unique. He wears teal eyeliner and pink nail polish. He is Gus Dapperton. And the dude makes music. I first heard his sound from this short film from photographer Cameron McMurtrey and man, has it stuck with me. So much that I knew I had to review the upstate New York native’s second EP, You Think You’re a Comic! This collection of four songs pulls heavy influence from the 80s while mixing in a solid undertone of electronic and current pop.
The Vocals:
One thing that I like about Dapperton is his voice. Just like his personality, it’s very unique. He has this somewhat imperfect voice, however, demonstrates his confidence and love for singing which comes through on the vocals. He knows he isn’t the best and he is okay with that and in turn, so is the listener. He also compliments it very well with background vocals on the opening track, “Prune, You Talk Funny”. At times he even belts out these strained notes that add character to the songs, especially on “I Have Lost My Pearls” and “Beyond Amends”. His slow and melodic, almost sad tone on the final song is a big swing from the opening, however, seems to make it work. With his uniqueness comes some weird lyrics and comparisons he makes like:
“I would tread upon flowerbeds to
Stare and stop
A hominid twas blossoming from
Soot and sod”
But I feel that is what makes Dapperton’s songs his songs. He just does himself and doesn’t care what others think.
The Instrumentals:
His band starts the album off strongly with the flirty little guitar piece that they quickly speed up. It provides a solid intro to the entire project. With its psychedelic sounding keyboards and unique guitar and bass notes, you can easily see how Dapperton and crew were influenced by the sounds of the 80s. However, a few of the instrumental pieces felt a little played out. The intros on “Amadelle With Love” and “Beyond Amends” feel like they go on forever. I felt often Dapperton brings you in more with his voice than his band does with their work. Don’t get me wrong, I think the instrumentals work perfectly with the sound of the EP, they just aren’t anything crazy special.
The Production:
It is an EP with four songs. Unfortunately, not a lot to talk about here. Yet, the transitions were still fairly smooth and the tone is on point. Dapperton starts out with an upbeat and funky mood and ends in a more melodic and sad vibe. Each song has a slower rhythm and darker vibe as the project plays out. That aspect is well done.
The Essentials:
“Prune You Talk Funny” is an awesome song and an even better video.
The Rating:
As always, EP’s just don’t do it for me because of how hard it can be to get a full understanding of the artist. Dapperton has some serious artistic talent; between his vocals and instrumentals…you already have a budding star. Add in the fact that he worked with Matthew Dillon Cohen to create his two music videos (“I’m Just Snacking” and “Prune You Talk Funny”), which came out to be actual works of art. The kid is going to be something. Trust me. You Think You’re a Comic! gets a:
7.3
When he releases a full album, you’ll be saying Colossus Music put you onto him before he went mainstream. Once again…trust me.
-Heff
Colossus Music 