Blast off into the stratosphere with Dråpe’s “My Friend The Scientist,” an exciting and delightful psych pop gem with rewarding sonic twists and turns.
Dråpe (pronounced 'Draw-peh') hails from Oslo, Norway, and list Slowdive, Cocteau Twins, Tame Impala, Beach House and My Bloody Valentine as influences, which certainly shine through in this warm and fuzzy track. Fans of Tame Impala and Melody’s Echo Chamber especially will find something to love here!
Kicking things off with a percussive guitar riff that sails around your ears as it delays, hi hats softly cut through the swirly warmth until the drums explode in full force at 0:15 with a cavernous psychedelic 60s sound. Bouncy, careening bass follows shortly after, and tremolo picked, wet reverb guitars add even more space to the mix, while tambourine shakes subtly in the background for added texture.
At 0:41 the song shifts to an almost playful mood, as the key changes and the smooth, androgynous vocals of Ketil Myhre join the sonic barrage, singing of their friend, a scientist who created a rocket ship and left without them. Spacious and crunchy guitars add movement and propel the song forward, as the drums keep time with laser accuracy.
Lovely vocal harmonies make themselves present as the first chorus begins, with cryptic, dystopian lyrics:
“Sirens instead
We’ll use sirens instead
Until you’re one of us”
And at that, you’ll get swept away by soaring falsetto vocals and washes of pads while the guitars opt for surfy, percussive stabs, a welcome motif that returns at multiple points in the song. A later verse gets chopped up halfway through with an instrumental break, as guitars change to a smooth fingerpicking style, leaving room for a swelling, panning pad arp at 2:54 before the vocals come back in with effervescent harmonies.
The end of the track finds you getting swept away even further, as a massive sustained drone jam with eerie vocal falsettos cascades down until the music stops. The music now absent, the warbling vocals gradually sink away, leaving just a phasey swirl of noise.
Calculated change is certainly an important element of “My Friend The Scientist,” and is certainly the primary auditory technique that enables the song to move in myriad of different directions. Luckily, despite all the changes in key and in complexity, it never loses its cosmic feeling and remains cohesive. For your next adventure into the unknown, choose Dråpe.
Dråpe:
An indie rock band from Oslo, Norway. "My Friend the Scientist" is on Dråpe's album Relax/Relapse: Bandcamp / Spotify / Soundcloud / YouTube
