What do you get when you take the singer of the iconic genre-bending seven-piece band Fat Freddy’s Drop and combine it with a lockdown with time and space to create? You get Dallas Tamaira’s (aka Joe Dukie) jazzy, soulful, and experimental solo EP ‘Levels’. Now available to enjoy today on vinyl and all streaming services.
‘Levels’ showcases a different side of Dallas which, as he puts it, is “about escapism, creating and exploring new worlds and spaces, and navigating and strengthening bonds with each other along the way.”
For a singer who has delivered endless exquisite performances over the years, the EP sees Dallas as a vocal voyager, exploring who he is as an artist, whilst being a resolute figure of strength and warmth. His first solo EP in over twenty years, the EP is a brand new and exciting chapter from one of Aotearoa’s most beloved voices.
The six-track EP was recorded in Pōneke – Wellington with Dallas’ long-time musical friends and collaborators, producer Devin Abrams aka Reno (Shapeshifter, Pacific Heights, Drax Project), and engineer Chris Faiumu aka Mu (Fat Freddy’s Drop, Bongmaster, Ladi6).
Dallas has treated fans to several key tracks from the EP over the past few months, with today seeing ‘Huwi’ as the lead song upon release. The track, arguably the emotional center piece to the new solo EP, is best captured by the lyrics “I just want to be with you, when it all falls down“. A love song for the end of days, ‘Huwi’ ebbs and flows, with Dallas’ ever so soothing performance at the heart bringing it all together into a life-affirming expression of love like no other.
‘Levels’ is available on 180gm black vinyl, you can also support and represent the release with an incredible range of merchandise. View on dallastamaira.com.