PREMIERE | Odd Dates, "Loopydoop"/"Operate"
The candid cool of Jeremy Dye of Odd Dates; press photo courtesy of the artist.
There is wisdom to be gained when we take a step back from the hubbub and tumult of everyday life. By breaking the routine chain of running in the menial hamster wheel called life we can discover a certain spark of ingenuity. Something dormant perhaps from within, something that might have been there for a while, something that might have been there since our very inception to perhaps a learned epiphany that remained in our latent consciousness before we took a moment to consider something outside of our rigid daily regiments. Much of life is spent in the service of others, appeasing our elders, bowing before the status quo, and staying in line. When there is even the slightest deviation from our regularly scheduled life; something truly special can be gleaned from these momentous sabbaticals. In a world where lifetimes are dedicated to the mindless servitude to omnipotent and all but anonymous entities to earn a subpar living wage — one of the most radical acts one can make is to set aside time for a moment of mindful meditation.
NYC by way of Michigan DIY pop phenom Jeremy Dye of Odd Dates did just this. Stepping out from the noise and constant clamor of the scenes, the artist presents the world with a debut listen to the double single “Loopydoop” and “Operate”. The first track being a complete solo endeavor with the second completed with guitar and bass supplied by Tim Barrett, Will Ong on percussion with Barrrett at the mixing controls; the result is a refreshing and resounding romp that feels uplifting and entirely bright and new. Dye gives a testimonial to the testaments of the independent creative spirit on “Loopydoop” while “Operate” is a lovely and lavish investigation into the origins of the acts we act and why we do what we do, why we are who we are and the particularities of how we function in the maelstrom muddle of a worldwide movement dedicated to the dire and destitute commitment to utter dysfunction and compromising perdition as policy.
"Loopydoop" trips, sparkles and skips as a minimalist masterpiece that runs under 40 seconds. Dye demonstrates the skills of maximizing the power of the home studio to make a succinct, stripped down symphony where gently strummed chords gingerly splash like a therapeutic stroll through a trickling brook. Jeremy ignites the seven canons to blend and bumble in consciousness levitating experimentation through intimate approaches to aural alchemy that cannot be bothered to even reach the 39 second mark. Strings, synths, drum machines and a lush creative cacophony of elements collide together on “Loopydoop” that spins in a carousel twirl like the orbit of our humble earth twisting its way around the sun.
“Operate” paints landscapes and portraits of inner thought processes that spill out into the perspectives and mental streams of just trying to figure it all out. The beautiful release and reprieve at work is the unfettered joy that Jeremy embraces in the human truth of accepting the fact that we as a society do not have it all figured out. We indeed do not know it all or can even begin to comprehend the impetus behind why others do what they do, why our world is so wacky, the rationale behind why our global civic discourse has increasingly grown so toxic and so forth. The tune treads water with a mellow sensibility, a smart and subdued ballad that immerses itself in the undertow of that sweet surrender that waves a banner of idiot optimism in the face of complexities that do not compute and boggle the human mind. Like the old adage that ignorance is bliss, Odd Dates cast doubts on the methodologies of operations that extend beyond the reaches of understanding in a melodic shrug of all that cannot be immediately explained or charted according to the laws of reason.
Jeremy Dye of Odd Dates provided some reflections on the new double single:
These are a couple songs I’ve been working on haphazardly for a few years. I took a break from being in bands back in 2017. Being out of the scene, I guess I was able to take on a new perspective and gained a lot of appreciation for catchy, pop style music that I never really had before. This new single is a reflection of that new found appreciation. I’m thinking a lot more about how to create those catchy moments, while still being authentic to my own style. I’m super happy with how the tracks came out. It was a pleasure to collaborate with my longtime friend Tim Barrett, who is just a brilliant musician and really helped bring this track to life.
Odd Dates’ “Loopydoop”/”Operate” will be available October 20 via Bandcamp and everywhere.
Cover art courtesy of Jeremy Dye.