Get it? It's a pun
Colourful indie favourite Gus Dapperton has returned with a second single from his upcoming sophomore album, following April's 'First Aid' with the release of new track 'Post Humorous'. After the release of his (underwhelming) debut LP Where Polly People Go To Read in 2019, each new release from Dapperton proves more and more that there is something worth hearing from this artist's output, and as the follow up to one of my favourite singles of the year, this newest song continues the trend that 'First Aid' sparked, swapping dreamy synth-pop sounds for a guitar focused, soft rock style. Increasingly now, it has become clear that this is the road that Gus Dapperton is set on, and the songwriter is still benefiting considerably from this stylistic trade.
‘Post Humorous’ kicks off with some twinkly guitar work as a gentle acoustic guitar fades into clarity. Dapperton's unique vocal work drops in, keeping reserved and quiet, the building of texture towards the chorus is excellent; the percussive claps and distorted drums slowly building into a sweet chorus. Gus’s knack for an ear-worm is once again highlighted in the chorus section too, but despite moving away from the dreamier sounds of previous projects, the production still retains an air of synthetic timbres, with reverb splashed liberally across both its guitars and vocals. The track could have easily been lifted from a 90s-set teen movie, with its raw delivery and alt-rock influence, and this certainly appears to be an increasingly common occurrence within the current indie scene. Many artists seem to be taking influence from 90s and early 2000s guitar bands (The 1975 and Beabadoobee spring to mind) and while 'Post Humorous' didn’t entice me immediately (like ‘First Aid’ did), this second single is still a good cut, and far better than the majority of the music found on his debut LP.
Once again Gus has displayed an ability to evolve and grow out of the now-stagnating bedroom pop zeitgeist. Much like counterpart Clairo, Gus’s songwriting has become more personal and intimate with these past two releases. And it is refreshing to see an artist show genuine development, rather than churn out the same project several times over.
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James Mellen is a very bored student in his final year of compulsory education, waiting to study music production and performance at degree level. He is passionate about music, guitars and music. He also watches films sometimes.
Thanks for reading! Slow Motion Panic Masters is a music, arts and culture blog created and edited by Ben Wheadon, a literature student and musician based in South Wales.
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