Press release: “The alternative rock band dredg from San Francisco can note a constantly growing number of followers and lovers since they decided to play music together more than 15 years ago, in 1995.
As there have been several rumors on the Internet recently about the successor of THE PARIAH, THE PARROT, THE DELUSION we are now happy to announce that dredg are finally going to release their fifth studio album CHUCKLES AND MR. SQUEEZY in late April/early May in Europe (outside of G/S/A) and on May 3, 2011 the U.S.
Those who are expecting the record to be a consistent continuance of THE PARIAH, THE PARROT, THE DELUSION will no doubt be surprised: this album is completely different from everything dredg have ever done before.
It took the band members almost eight months of exchanging song-material via e-mail to finish the album–a process producer Dan The Automator (Gorillaz, Kasabian, etc.) was also involved in right from the early beginnings. His influence becomes most apparent in the songs “The Tent,” “Sun Goes Down” and “Before it Began” where he also took an active part in the songwriting.
Even though there is a lot of variation in tones and tempo, singer Gavin sums up the general sound of CHUCKLES AND MR. SQUEEZY as “Dark Pop”: a dark undertone is giving the songs some kind of a contemplative self-analysis – but in the end the album is still characterized by its optimism. “There is a certain darkness to it,” Gavin agrees. “A lot of our music is ultimately positive but can be conceived as sad as well. It has these two sides that oppose each other, but manage to reconcile in the music.”
With CHUCKLES AND MR. SQUEEZY dredg is breaking new grounds in their career – in a new, yet unexplored direction. The influence Dan The Automator had on this record is obvious. His status as a producer and co-worker lead him to an additional role as a guide, giving the band the impulse to work harder, to take a closer look at themselves and finally take this as an inspiration for creating their music and lyrics.
The last 15 years of development brought dredg to an unexpected, yet welcomed point in their career. “For me this is a renewal kind of record,” Gavin says. “It feels different and in some ways it feels like a new band. That was my goal when working with the band and with Dan–to make something we’d never done. Hopefully people can see the band in a new light. We can mold to different things and there is a future for the band when it comes to creating.”
Well, let me add that, while "Chuckles and Mr. Squeezy" is indeed a noteworthy release, full of mellow, atmospheric, dreamy nice tunes, the lack of energy in their new sound leads the listener into the cozy arms of morpheus, easily. That said, there's no a bad track on sight, and if you like synth driven music, you'll agree that songs like the stunning opener "Another Tribe", the wonderful single "The Thought Of Losing You", or the fluffy, orchestrated "Sun Goes Down" are great pieces of post new wave/art rock.
Dredg's official site has been recently revamped, to reflect the new album's artwork. Click on the picture above to visit it and to check their new, cool merchandise.