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Writer's pictureJesse Stowe

Advance Review - Little Dragon: 'New Me, Same Us'


(Photo Credit - Mous Lamrabat)


Advance Review - Little Dragon: New Me, Same Us (March 27, 2020)


Hello! What better time to check out new music? And to be honest, Trey Anastasio is the only artist that I am aware of who is sending out new music almost daily. Unluckily...well, I am working...I still have to go to my job, and it seems like I am actually busier now than I have been for a minute. Yet, even though I have been working a lot, ripping up carpet, and laying new floor in my house, I jumped at the opportunity to review the upcoming Little Dragon album, New Me, Same Us.

I must be honest. Although this band was founded in 1996, I only really found them last year. That’s not saying I did not like their co-labs with Flume and Flying Lotus, but I missed a lot by not delving into them as a band. To Little Dragon, I apologize. However, the song “Constant Surprises” kept popping up on my playlists, and I connected it to my partner Camélia. The sweet, romantic feel, the new age R&B mixed with electronica, and the timing made “Constant Surprises/Coming my way/Some call it coincidence/But I like to call it fate” the perfect mantra (?) for my life.

Quoted from the band’s press kit, “Their unique style of unhurried, off-kilter r’n’b, pop and electronics” is exactly what the world needs in the moment. Never overly aggressive, Little Dragon offers an album that can help people get off their couches, dance a little, and feel a little. From “Hold On” to “Water,” New Me, Same Us is a solid album filled with upbeat and complicated rhythms flowing into transcendental moments and back again. Listen to “Rush.” It gives a taste of the entire album in 3:29. But please don’t stop there. Give each song a good listen.

“Hold On” provides the proper open; “Another Lover,” “Kids,” and “New Fiction” are all killer songs, and yet, “Are You Feeling Sad?” is one of my favorites on the album. “Where You Belong,” “Stay Right Here,” and “Water” slows it down, for those who want the true R&B flavor. With complicated rhythms, smooth and easy vocals, and interesting basslines, we can take a break from Netflix and the news and remember to live and love life.

Final Thought: I feel privileged to be able to listen to this album early. It shows that a band in the game for over twenty years can still be relevant, rediscover themselves, and produce a must-hear album.

Favorite Songs: “Hold On,” “Kids,” and “Are You Feeling Sad?”

Rating - 4.5 out of 5 (This is an album I will listen to for years)

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