Jem Doulton – The Spitting Dummy Parade (2022)
Jem Doulton has hit us in the chest with the heavy tones of ‘My Brain’s In My Skin’, before dripping sarcasm into the scathing lyrics of ‘Perfect Picture’. Now, he is looking, with a sense of absurdity, at the people who seem to want us to move backwards in time to the darker ages of the past with ‘The Spitting Dummy Parade’. Featuring My Bloody Valentine’s Deb Googe (bass) and Mad Mad Mad’s Benji Bouton (guitar), the single packs a rock punch with a slightly retro tinge.
The single is the latest in a string of songs where Doulton brings friends together to merge their impressive musical skills. Each of the tracks told a different story and touched on different topics, but they have all left us with a lot to think about. This single brings a sense of camaraderie to political absurdity and a touch of inward-looking reflection.
‘The Spitting Dummy Parade’ vibrates and warbles its way into your senses through the opening. There is a touch of shoegaze to the movement that gets your insides shivering. It is a rather experimental sound that walks the line of psychedelic, industrial and rock. Through the unique movement, you are effortlessly drawn into the melody. Just before the vocals hit, the melody takes a turn and gets a scratchier feeling and a tumble of tones. There is a lot going on in the melody, with the various elements all trying to grab your attention, leaving you reeling and unsure where to focus. This arrangement is perfect when you consider the topic of the track as it brings a surreal absurdity to the soundscape. There are flashes of colours, melting walls, warbling tones and warping sensations that all come together for an engaging listening experience.
The melody is by far the main focus of the track as it takes over the single and brings the absurdity of certain aspects of politics. When the vocals hit, they weave into the melodic tones, tapping one melodic line against another. They have a distant feeling that also seems to whisper into your ears or come at you from behind. The odd funfair of sound is enhanced by the vocals as they bring the contemplation of backward-looking perspectives to the track.
Jem Doulton throws you into the deep end of experimental and rather absurd sounds and thoughts in ‘The Spitting Dummy Parade’. The music is the star of the shows as it inundates your senses with layers of sound that combine for an absurd riot of colours and music. The vocals play a small part in the track as they come in from a distance and contemplate certain political perspectives.
Find out more about Jem Doulton on his website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
