Less than a week into 2025, Waterlog, the project of producer, multi-instrumentalist, and Grammy-nominated engineer Dom Shaw, has arrived with a riotous new single. The "Touchscreen" is an anthem that trains its biting humor and boundless energy on our tech-obsessed world.
After a year of self-reflection on the windswept Cornish coast, Dom has arrived at a sound that resists genre. He pulls in popular music strands, hooks, and melodies from alternative, folk, and rock, with razor-sharp lyricism and stories sprinkled with surprise. Beaming from the frontlines of his impending EP (due March 20, 2025), 'Touchscreen' is a vibrant display of his fearless sonic plan.
Drawing inspiration from the absurdity of growing up in a relentlessly screentime-drunk world, "Touchscreen" plays a toxic duet between an eternally positive smartphone and its hostile user. The track shuttles between comedy and outright bedlam, propelled by Cam Steele's unblinking drum work and a gnarly, driving bassline courtesy of Tom Coath. The final layer? A whorl of screeching guitars (Tatjana Radivoj) and scalding saxophone (Vi Wang) round out a soundscape that's as erratic as it is compulsive.
Resonating with early 2000s indie rock, 'Touchscreen' hits with a kick of nostalgia but comes off refreshingly modern. A flurry of jarring sonic contrasts and slick production, it's a chorus for anyone who has ever felt embattled by the digital era. One thing is certain, Waterlog is claiming 2025 as its own, and "Touchscreen" is just the start.
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