Digital Zodiac

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Regular: £16.99

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Cat No: DASH042LP

Release Date: 08 November 2019

Label: Dot Dash Recordings

Packaging Type: Slip Sleeve (CD or Vinyl)

No of Units: 1

Barcode: 9332727039546

Genres: Indie Pop

Description
Formed in 2014, Dorsal Fins is helmed by Liam McGorry, whose face and trumpet timbre will be recognisable to fans of Melbourne collectives Eagle & The Worm and Saskwatch. Dorsal Fins was born when McGorry began sharing demos with vocalists and songwriters Ella Thompson and Jarrad Brown. This trio, who after almost a decade each of music-making are mainstays of Melbourne stages, are Dorsal Finsâ€™ pillars: demos and ideas sent back and forth between them are the genesis of each song, as McGorryâ€™s original songwriting ideas build and morph. Complete only after input from the six other musicians that currently comprise Dorsal Fins, the songs on Digital Zodiac feel born of the kind of musical collaboration that can only be described as joyous: at turns frenetic, laconic, overblown and understated.

Digital Zodiac is a decidedly more laid-back affair than its predecessor, 2015â€™s Mind Renovation. When asked how he manages to keep cohesion on a record so full of musical ideas, McGorry warns, â€œItâ€™s not graceful. Throw it at the wall and see what sticks.â€� He says itâ€™s a testament to the recordâ€™s voices that the album maintains a through-line, but one of Digital Zodiacâ€™s strengths is its slow unravel: the albumâ€™s first half is buoyant and exuberant, elevated by the amorous â€˜High Lowâ€™ and the ironically raucous â€˜Sedatedâ€™. A reflective outro on â€˜Precious Handsâ€™ signals a shift, and the melancholy of â€˜Blindâ€™ is rounded out by â€˜Man Versus Womenâ€™, a kind of twisted lullaby.

For a band that is adored for its eclecticism, finding a characteristic that unites each song from Digital Zodiac might seem difficult, but there is no doubt that what defines this record is its sense of wholeness. To say it sounds like a well-maintained machine denies the album of its visceral, human flourishes, but the moving parts within Digital Zodiac function so harmoniously that thereâ€™s something stunning about their mechanics â€” it truly sounds like nine moving as one.

Praise for Digital Zodiac

"Dorsal Fins have really got (it) together on album two, blending shards of funk and big-band soul pop under a host of vivacious vocalists, led by Ella Thompson and Jarrad Brown...Tempo-perfecto." - 4 stars - The Herald Sun

"While there might be a lot happening on Digital Zodiac the album is so masterfully executed it never feels overbearing or thrown together haphazardly. Truly pioneers of fun, infectious tunes with a lot of heart, Dorsal Fins are without a doubt the most exciting band in Melbourne." - 9/10, Beat Magazine

â€œSedated is the silky lead singleâ€¦ Unashamedly pop-facing, the track's ultra-glossy Phoenix-levels of uplift is sharply contrasted by the lyricsâ€� - Rolling Stone

â€œEvery time Melbourne collective Dorsal Fins do something, it seems like theyâ€™re having a bloody good time. And the result is invariably some bloody good music.â€� - Faster Louder
Tracklisting