Dot Org, the vehicle for local musician Ian Mckewen, has always been a stylistically restless indie act with little regard for simple categorization or convention. But the one unifying element in all of the heady brew is Mckewen’s theatrical singing, and it’s this act’s most defining trait.
Well, Dot Org’s brand-new single, “Neon Oceans,” is one of Mckewen’s most distilled songs to date and provides some of the best framing for his exceptionally limber vocals yet. Dynamic caprice and tension are Dot Org’s usual modus operandi. But the vibe-rich “Neon Oceans” is a song of fluid summery reverie.
It occasionally threatens to get carried away in a sudden updraft but just settles back into its lovely zephyr drift. It’s on this frequency and in this open space that Mckewen’s singing and songwriting exhale gorgeously like never before. “Neon Oceans” is a finely crafted and lushly executed diamond in the Dot Org catalog. This first glimpse of Dot Org’s next full-length album — which is due for release on Oct. 31 — is up now on Bandcamp.
Orlando’s Drex Carter, one of the voices in the upward Seeyousoon rap crew, recently dropped tight new single “idk.” It’s a tender, plaintive emo-rap number that rides a very now wave. But while the song itself is low key, its video — done by Florida’s Gameonet Productions — is high in both concept and production value. Filmed across four years and featuring lots of simulated realities, it’s a splashy journey of sci-fi flair. Check it out on YouTube.
This article appears in Oct 6-12, 2021.
