Red Sun Raygun: New Single ‘Dare You’
KATIE BROWN - 2 MAR 2022
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Back with their first new single since 2020’s ‘Say It Like You Mean It’, Red Sun Raygun prove themselves in prime form with dreamy and mysterious new track ‘Dare You’, released 25 Feb. An act consisting of Wellington’s Zach Webber (Paperghost) on synths and Amsterdam-based Floor van Dijck (vocals) and Craig Elliott (guitar), Red Sun Raygun make, as they say, ‘weirdo synth-pop via the power of the internet’, and it is synth-pop that is deliciously intriguing in its offbeat allure.
With chippy digital manipulations wrapping themselves around eerie guitars and syncopated beats to form a kind of dizzying clockwork effect, ‘Dare You’ feels like a quietly ticking time bomb where the outcome is only ever hinted at, not known. The syncopation itself suggests the disconnect between reality and imagination - a veiled journey through the mind rather than the real world, with the listener caught in the tension between, never quite sure which is which: there’s a melancholic ghost of a presence that can never quite be pinned down. Layers of van Dijck’s vocals drift with a vaporous lightness atop swirling bass, guitar and the simmering beats, and the resulting effect is a perfect balance of dreaminess with a gothic undertone, which is quietly introduced through the obscure lyrics and reverbed guitar.
Captivating in its soft mystery, ‘Dare You’ is a standout single from the trio, and we can’t wait to hear more!