PREMIERE: Listen to Dutch Interior’s New Single “Ecig”

If you’re wondering why you can’t make out any of the faces in Dutch Interior’s press photo, it’s intentional. There’s a bit of mystery surrounding the Los Angeles-based sextet, a band of longtime friends who all share lead vocal duties (except for one member, who remains unnamed, as does the rest of the band except the identity of someone who goes by Conner). The group just signed with Fat Possum Records, and their latest single, “Ecig,” is a fit of crunching, finger-cracking post-punk washed in infrared. The song has guitar tones reminiscent of pre-2002 Wilco and melodies that cut through the noise with hums and reverberating, droning vocals from somebody (probably Conner, if I’m guessing).

The song, to put it bluntly, is visceral—likely the best song about the metaphysical, emotional and psychological dimensions of a knife wound you’ll hear all year. “The wound pulses like a rusted swingset, and now the higher I get off my electronic marijuana cigarette, I feel regret,” Conner sings. “So hold pressure where it lacks, ’cause I could lose a lot of black blood, the black blood that dresses the macerated edge that drips into buzzards that follow you, my friend.” It’s captivating, perplexing and, to be honest, a little bit terrifying. That’s a recipe for a rock song that’ll stick with you long after it’s over.

“‘Ecig’ was once a quiet, pensive song, but after practicing it and failing to stick to a recording of it, it felt stale. At rehearsal one day, Conner spent a few minutes twisting knobs on his pedals (which is irregular for him) and then began strumming the fuzzy drone that would become the main rhythm guitar part for the current version. In just a single play through, the entire band figured out their parts and all of them stuck,” the band explains. “The song’s lyrical content tries to understand the feelings left over from betrayal through images that are dead but linger in a physical form that is difficult or impossible to dispose of: a rusted swingset, dried blood, circling buzzards or a disposable vape. ‘Ecig’ is an early song of ours that evolved through many phases as we played it live. Being the first synthesis of the noisier aspects of our live set into a studio recording, it is a perfect bridge from our last record into what is coming next.”

Watch the music video for “Ecig” below.