The incredible sexual tension between the two hooligans that make up Dual Neutral has culminated into a hormonal frenzy of angst and unrequited lust in the form of dramatic guitar music that could only hail from the shorter and smellier little sister of Detroit. Avery McDonald (guitar) along with Daniel Price (drums and vocals) are taking their high-energy music to the heights of the gallows and depths a few feet down from there.
Dual Neutral is a Toledo-based duo whose sound can best be described as emotive, electric, and unbridled. The band released their first full-length album Year of the Locust in June 2022, which was then picked up for a physical release on cassette by the Toledo-based label, Infiel Records. Shortly after the release of their single “Daisy Chains”, Infiel officially added the duo to their artist roster. The band plans to record a new album starting in March 2023 with Toledo-based audio engineer, Steven Warstler.
“This single is definitely a one-off, we just wanted to put out the song but we were too lazy to stick an album to it. “
– Dual Neutral
“Daisy Chains” begins with celeste-like bells as we are visually dropped into a white room with nothing but an amp and a microphone. Next, pulsating strings join the airwaves, just before the instrumentation establishes a dark minor groove. The artists appear, dressed in black. Dan Price’s vocals accentuate each word with its sheen. A marching-esq snare drives the song forward nightmarishly as the lyrics insist:
“I won’t say anything, anything
Not me”
The guitar takes the spotlight next with chugging eighth notes as we begin to ramp up the instrumentation. We feel despair merge with just a twinge of hope, as we lament about the promise of “one day”. The vocalist sinks into the microphone and leans into the wall, as the guitarist offers chordal commentary. The stage presence these two have is magnetic and tantalizing as they crescendo into the insisting phrase: “I won’t feel this anymore”. But the song quickly comes back from its emotional boiling point down to a simmer.
“Smoked and stained
Daisies and chains
Don’t wanna speak your name
I’m not gonna play your game”
The bridge offers a soft, haunting talk-sing section that is akin to that of Thom Yorke before the guitarist jumps us back to the heavy sonic layers of an instrumental break. As the song cools off, Dual Neutral decrescendos out with the sounds of a gentle shaker while leaving the door open with the shocking entrance of a distorted tone, keeping the situation ultimately unresolved.
“Daisy Chains” is an emotional release with catchy melodies that will invade your thoughts and generate harrowing self-reflection.
Q&A
How did your process of recording “Daisy Chains” differ from Year of the Locust?
Daisy chains was recorded on the same equipment in the same house as the album so not much actually changed. My home studio is relatively mobile other than the centerpiece which is a 24 channel Ramsa console and I had been learning how to use it with better effect in different locations after the album was made. When we recorded Year of the Locust I had never used the console or a DAW or basically any of the equipment we had until day one of tracking since I had only ever used Portastudios or all analog reel to reel tape equipment til that day and have gotten much more comfortable in a hybrid digital/analog set up since last march when we recorded year of the locust and even since we did daisy chains a few months ago.
The artwork you guys created feels very cosmic. What do the two symmetrical faces and circular shapes mean?
I wanted to incorporate the occult into our music. The symbolism is esoteric in nature.
Where did you record the music video, and what was the process like for you guys? What does “Daisy Chains” mean to you?
We recorded the music video in a squash ball room at the local YMCA/JCC. They have been kind enough to let us use the room a few times even though we aren’t members or religious and I’m assuming it’s because no one knows what squash ball is and the room is always empty. I’ve never heard of skwash-ball before. I don’t even know if I spelled it correctly.
The process was relatively easy. We had no budget, all we spent money on was the 10 dollars to use adobe premiere for a day. We basically tried to do the best we could come up with when you have no money or experience or good ideas so we thought a big white room where we pretend to play the song was good enough. We showed up with a camera and a bluetooth speaker and a broken guitar amp and microphone and went through the track 6 times and then edited it and exported it all that same day… What does Daisy Chains mean to you? I’m more interested in that who cares what I think really. I captured and bottled up some emotion and then we set it to music and threw it out there. I don’t wanna think about it anymore I’ll cry.
Is the despair we sense in this song about something going on internally, or externally? In other words, what is the source of the pain?
I dunno, I am not good at writing happy songs. My life isn’t terrible. I have a lot to be appreciative for but I was also abused when I was a kid, briefly homeless, hospitalized, and my back hurts so I just have a lot to draw on.
Can you tell us a bit about what your new album entails?
I wish I could but even I don’t know right now, things are up in the air on even how many songs we need to record. We’ve got 5 demos made currently and we are taking those songs to the studio in March exactly one year after we started the first album. we have enlisted Steve Warstler to record the new stuff in Citizens studio which is a fun throwback for me because the last time I worked with Steve my old band Good Personalities recorded in their shared practice space in a different building here in Toledo but that’s just blatant name dropping so I can spice this thing up because I don’t have any other information I am able or allowed to provide right now. But it will be suuuper cooool! Or it might never come out.
LINKS:
https://www.instagram.com/dual_neutral/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071045708583
https://www.infielrecords.com/dual-neutral-store.html#/