Finding beauty in the mundane is one of life’s little victories, one that we can all achieve. Turning that beautiful mundanity into art, however, is a skill most can only aspire to. When Dashoda (Gavin MacDermott) picked up his old, scarcely worn blazer in 2016, he didn’t just see it as it was, he saw it as what it could be. 38 Long was not just the blazer’s size, it was a statement.
Dashoda’s music exists in two worlds. The seen and the unseen. ’38 Long’, the Wexford native’s sophomore single, exemplifies that trait. It’s a journey into the unknown. A sonic representation of the graceful swan gliding over the water, while, beneath the water, its feet are paddling frantically. A story of the well-presented exterior bravado of a man who is anything but on the inside.
Painting the setting for ’38 Long’, bedroom-based producer Dashoda says: “I had this new group of friends and I was living in Dublin again. So, there was this feeling of newness and big energy and definitely a lot of confusion about what the hell I was doing with my life and, naturally, a lot of procrastination. I was in a space in my life where I had great anticipation and so the song came out of that feeling…I wanted to capture the tension of my life at that moment in the song. There is a devil may care throw-away attitude, confidence and also fear. Accompanying this is a frantic energy.”
’38 Long’, which is set for release on September 18th, is an up-tempo, catchy indie-pop bop produced by Darragh Nolan (Sacred Animals, Ailbhe Reddy, Basciville) at Asta Kalapa studios. The two took inspiration from Daft Punk among others, particularly on the drums, which were magically transformed by Nolan to sound like a drum machine, rather than the real drums used in recording. It’s this kind of alternative thinking that separates Dashoda’s music from so many of his peers.
The release will be accompanied by a lyric video, before the official video for the song is set free on September 26th. Having worked with him on the video for his debut single ‘In Between’, Dashoda partnered once again with director Conor Donoghue on the video for ‘38 Long’.
Playing on the message of the song, Donoghue decided to take the idea of existing between two worlds, one of chaos and one of sanity, and run with it. “I thought it would be fun to make a video in which we took a very nice-looking blazer and gave it a new life. Dousing Gavin and the blazer in lots of colours seemed like the best way to do it.” The video truly reflects that idea through the striking contrast created as it alternates rapidly between an all-white scene and a multi-coloured Mad Hatter’s tea party scene.
With a small budget and DIY approach, the video was filmed in one take in a friend’s back garden, Donoghue explained, “Since the song has a repetitive beat I thought it would be good to cut on every beat to keep with the energy of the song. I thought having two timelines – One going backwards and the other going forwards – would be intriguing to the viewer. The video was extremely fun to make and I really felt like a child again throwing all that mess at Gavin.”
With debut single ‘In Between’ achieving success across the airwaves in Ireland on 2FM, BBCRadio Ulster, FM104, KCLR, WLR, 2XM, PlayIrish and more, as well as coverage on Joe.ie, GoldenPlec, The Last Mixed Tape and Broadsheet, Dashoda is already well on his way to being one of Ireland’s most exciting new acts. ‘38 Long’ reaffirms that potential and looks set to send Dashoda’s career into orbit.
