Have you ever heard of daisies in the fall season?
No? Well, how about Dazies in the fall season?
That’s right! Spearheaded by former Future Generations vocalist Eddie Gore, joined by drummer Dylan Wells and producer Mike Sansevere (also known as Sans), Dazies delivers an experimental masterpiece in their latest venture, Eyes Repeating.
So, let’s break this record down!
- “Exposure”
“Exposure” starts with one sharp, lingering guitar strum, easing into Sans’s intricate bass notes and a feathery keyboard. Oozing with lyrics about staying hopeful despite feeling hopeless, this song is perfect for one of those days where you try to find comfort in the most difficult circumstances.
- “Get Lost”
In this track’s first few seconds, you hear the sound of a video tape sliding through a VCR.
“Get Lost” takes keyboard experimentation to a new level, especially after the first chorus, where we hear the keys subtly shimmering, clanking and warbling all at once. It sounds weird, but it works somehow.
But wait! The experimentation doesn’t stop here. Because “Get Lost” makes a seamless transition into…
- “Diggin’ In”
After the transition from “Get Lost,” Dylan Wells’ drums take center stage in the first few seconds in “Diggin’ In,” before the song eases into a subtle keyboard and a smooth whistle.
What’s impressive about this song is its tone: It almost sounds like a piece of raw footage, especially toward the end, where we can hear a faint police siren and bits of a conversation in the background as the music plays.
- “Still Life”
Dazies picks up the tempo at a quick but steady pace in “Still Life.” A gentle, billowing keyboard and pixelated, cowbell-style notes accompany Gore as he croons about letters from Tokyo and the desire for human connection. Ten out of 10.
- “No More Bones”
In Track #5, “No More Bones,” Wells’ drums start with a skip and a jump, followed by strategic bass riffs from Sans. However, high-pitched keyboard distortions enter the song after the chorus, reappearing during the end, keeping its momentum after the rest of the music fades out.
As Gore lulls about T-shirt lines, card decks and a few dollars to spend, he describes himself as a “dog with a collar on [his] neck,” with “no more bones.” Implying how sometimes we carry on through life with little to no reward in return.
If you need a life-sucks-right-now-but-I’m-trudging-through-it-anyway song to listen to on your ride home, let “No More Bones” be your passenger.
- “In My House”
As a dreamcore lover, I was pleasantly surprised at the distorted-but-gentle keyboard tones (usually associated with dreamcore-style music) in this song’s intro.
On another note, if you want to taste Dazies’ musical experimentation at its peak flavor, “In My House” excels in it. More specifically, “In My House” sounds hollow, distorted and distant, including Gore’s vocals. In fact, it’s hard to understand what he’s singing about in this song due to the distant-sounding distortions in his voice. As a result, this song sounds like it came out of a dream, almost as though Gore is trying to reach a faraway, fading memory.
Just like we would be reaching for this song once it ends, because we’ll be sad when it does. Ten out of 10.
- “Serpentine”
“Serpentine” feels like a lulling ocean that can break into stormy waves at any moment. And the track does just that when Gore descends into grating inflections, singing to an unnamed, toxic ex.
Instrumentally, “Serpentine” sounds like the type of song you listen to during the late sunset hours before you go to bed. However, Gore’s harsh lyrics tell another story, implying darker undertones.
As a result, the music sounds sweet, but also not so sweet. This track’s duality sends chills down my spine and checks all the boxes of a good song. Ten out of 10.
- “Days and Hours”
Dazies speeds up the tempo once again with “Days and Hours.” This track sounds like one of those songs where you’re riding in a car with your friends at night, letting the wind blow in your face as you let your worries go away for just a few hours. Ten out of 10.
- “Apparition”
I appreciate how the keyboard buzzes through the second verse in “Apparition,” fading and reaching a high pitch at random times during those few seconds. It’s spontaneous and methodical at the same time.
That being said, the entire track sounds similar to a sleep-paralysis state, where you can’t tell if you’re awake or dreaming, but somehow, you feel that you’re not quite alone. Gore, Wells and Sans achieve this tone beautifully in “Apparition,” so I recommend giving this song a listen!
- “Working With Glass”
In “Working With Glass,” the key change in the chorus, where Gore sings, “I’m not opposed to / Working with glass,” is my favorite part. But what especially catches my ear is the monologue toward the song’s end, where a man asks what we would do in the short time that we have: “Would you say goodbye, or would you say hello?”
This song is a brilliant way to end the record, leaving a reminder for the listener that life can be a beatdown and still be worth living.
Conclusion
Funny thing: Some of these songs in Eyes Repeating have a vibe that reminds me of that Malcom in the Middle theme song. (For the Millennials and early Gen Zers out there, you know what theme song I’m talking about!) Whether or not Dazies had that song in mind at any point while making this album is anyone’s guess, but my overall point here is this:
Dazies’ Eyes Repeating is an emotional, unapologetic record that talks about how painful and unexpected life can get, despite the fact that we need to cherish life while we still have it. It reminds me of the nostalgia trips I go on almost every day in my adulthood. Even though I’m still young at 28, I still have that nostalgia for the days where life was simple and predictable. Eyes Repeating seems to encapsulate these complicated emotions perfectly, serving as a reminder that life is wired to be complicated, with all its craziness and pleasures.
As a result, I highly recommend this album!
I’m Music Magazine Music Journalist Sydney James
