If there’s anything that will perk ears up more than two popular names in independent music being mentioned in the same sentence, it’s probably the surprise announcement of their collaboration on a single for a popular label. Enter Merchandise and Dum Dum Girls, who just announced a split single out November 27 on Sub Pop, and its a-side, “Red Sun”.
“Red Sub” is a shifty exercise in digging up loves buried in the past, bulldozing distorted synth razes the landscape ahead, pushing forward for the moody clarity of vocals and guitar. A new universe is thought up and created, where the vocals are the architects, the instructors, and the guitar and synths are the machinery to set things in motion. Dee Dee’s voice sees over the verse, beckoning in ominous invitation, while Carson Cox’s milky responses in the chorus dive into the fullness of instruments and lay a ground on which to stand. The guitar’s reverberation itself, is loaded with longing question, not so much pulling heartstrings, but warping them entirely. The partnership of the two performers is one of undeniable effectuality, stemming from a mutual need to create art, founded on the gloomy side of love.
