Acclaimed Los Angeles-based Americana rockers Dawes have shared a new single, “Comes In Waves.”
Videos by American Songwriter
The new single marks the latest from Dawes, who is set to release their eighth studio album, Misadventures of Doomscroller, on July 22.
Says the band’s frontman Taylor Goldsmith, “I had this riff and one of the verses for a while. [Band mates] Griffin, Wylie and Mike Viola came over to my backyard—this was peak Covid—to just play music together for one of the first times since lockdown. I started sharing the song and Griffin and Mike started singing their background parts you hear on the choruses on the record immediately. It inspired me to finish writing it.
“The lyric is about the arbitrary demands I make on myself. I want to perceive me or my life a certain way but I make no exceptions for an off day or a misstep. Whether it’s a win or a loss, it’s all transient, and only when I can live in some version of that awareness—which is itself transient—am I able to bat away any fears or anxieties or the consequences of an overindulged ego.”
Continued the frontman, “We’ve always prided ourselves on being minimalists. With this record we set out on being MAXIMALISTS. Still a quartet. Still not letting these songs hide behind any tricks or effects. But really letting the songs breathe and stretch and live however they want to. We decided to stop having any regard for short attention spans. Our ambitions go beyond the musical with this one.
“We also wanted to honor the traditional length of a vinyl record—40-45 minutes—but disregard any concern for numbers of tracks. The way Miles or Herbie often did. Documenting the songs is only half of the picture. For this record, they’re also the platform for us to jump off from and get lost in. I think the best way I can say it is – we wanted this record to be less a collection of songs and more a collection of music.”
Adds basset Wylie Gelber, “We wanted a musical drama, an ensemble cast with linked arms kicking highly; a transcription of a band meeting we haven’t even had yet. Eight legs and eight arms, in a room, stretching deeper than we ever knew we could…The Intros have Outros. The Outros have Bridges.”
Dawes also has announced a swath of upcoming tour dates to celebrate their upcoming summer record release. See those dates, which includes support shows for The Head and the Heart, in full below.
DAWES TOUR 2022
JULY
4 – Asbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony Summer Stage †
29 – Yuzawa, JP – Fuji Rock Festival *
AUGUST
1 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at The Moody Theater ^
2 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at The Moody Theater ^ (SOLD OUT)
4 – Houston, TX – Lawn at White Oak ^
5 – Dallas, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory ^
6 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion ^
7 – Arvada, CO – Arvada Center for the Arts
8 – Salt Lake City, UT – Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre ^
9 – Boise, ID – Outlaw Field at the Idaho Botanical Garden ^
11 – Missoula, MT – KettleHouse Amphitheater ^
12 – Seattle, WA – Marymoor Park ^ (SOLD OUT)
13 – Seattle, WA – Marymoor Park ^
16 – Portland, OR – McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheater ^
18 – Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl ^
19 – Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre ^
20 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre ^
22 – San Diego, CA – Humphreys Concerts By The Bay ^ (SOLD OUT)
23 – San Diego, CA – Humphreys Concerts By The Bay ^
27 – Tisbury, MA – Beach Road Weekend *
28 – Bridgeview, IL – Sacred Rose *
SEPTEMBER
3-4 – Indianapolis, IN – All In Music & Arts Festival *
16 – Toronto, ON – Phoenix Concert Theatre
24-25 – Franklin, TN – Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival *
* Festival Performance
† w/Phil Lesh & Friends
^ Supporting The Head and The Heart
Photo by Matt Jacoby
