Artist to Watch: Dub Thompson

Dub Thompson hails from Agoura Hills just outside of Los Angeles, but after listening to their album for two straight weeks I can now say with confidence that this is a band that transcends the sunny California vibe. In fact, the recently released 8-song album, ironically titled 9 Songs, operates under a traditional rock band’s instrumentation while working past any form of categorization whatsoever. The album takes influence from rock and roll experimenters like Can and Deerhoof, and psychedelia from The Flaming Lips and Pink Floyd. It reaches towards grunge at many points, and yes you guessed it, even some dub/down-tempo sneaks its way into the mix.

At certain points on the album the experimentations lunge towards what New England bands such as Guerrilla Toss and Sediment Club are reaching for; the noisy, chaotic complexities that may be a mystery to the band as much as the listener. "Dograces", in particular, is a signifier of this eclecticism, beginning with a fairly straight forward grunge rock groove before diving head first into a glaringly wild synth breakdown, one where I can’t help but think of the innovative song structures of The Flaming Lips and Tame Impala. The song ends with an intermission for the album, which is just some lounge music that you might hear when you’re on hold with a phone operator. Proving to be masters of alternating dynamics, unpredictable song structures, and straight-up powerful jams, Dub Thompson has sought after an unpredictable form, one which I believe will reject any expectations from future releases. – Jake Saunders