click to enlarge - Courtesy
- Dead Gowns, How (VMP Edition)
(Self-released, CD, digital, vinyl)
Dead Gowns' thrumming rock song "Renter Not a Buyer" contains multitudes. Gritty guitars and featherlight Wurlitzer underscore the puzzling phrases sung by the band's creative mastermind and front person, Geneviève Beaudoin. The title of this first track off the recently rereleased EP How (VMP Edition) from the Portland, Maine, outfit nods to the increasing difficulty of homeownership for younger adults. But beneath that obvious analysis are other interpretations.
Liner notes explain that the song is about the metaphorical shells people create for themselves and the upkeep they require. Another interpretation might be that, for better or worse, we sometimes see ourselves as transients passing through the world or the lives of others, gaining purchase for only a short time. "I'm a renter not a buyer / Dress me up like someone's daughter," Beaudoin sings.
The track leads a dynamic collection of seven songs, the final three of which expand the original 2022 EP into the new vinyl version. Vinyl Me, Please, an indie music subscription service, tapped the group as one of its VMP Rising artists, a distinction given to up-and-comers.
Beaudoin is a charismatic protagonist. Her writing balances empathetic observations about the world she inhabits with introspective musings on her inner life. Stylistically, she carves out space on the dreamy end of the rock spectrum with tracks such as "Change Your Mind," then pivots back to sobering, surging anthems such as "Kid 1."
"Change Your Mind" eases into a groove of rippling Wurlitzer, orchestral strings and shimmering atmospherics. Beaudoin ekes out her vocals, carefully controlling the emotional intensity of soft-sung phrases such as "Try to build a new routine / Like trying to pick out the good memories." The song seems to dwell on the feeling of being stuck, pairing inner-monologue mundanities ("Take out the trash / Do my groceries") with big-picture aspirations ("Remember to be more forthcoming").
"Kid 1" is among the EP's burliest and punchiest tracks. Building from hissy snares and bass, the grungy song takes stock of the fleeting nature of innocence. Beaudoin longs for something she's lost ("I want to feed stale breadcrumbs to swans / When love was a daydream in her lawn"), yet she's unsure how to define it ("But even that sounds wrong, doesn't it? / A completely normal reflex / Oh, try and describe it").
As Vinyl Me, Please rightly declared, Dead Gowns are one to watch. Beaudoin is compelling as a writer, producer and performer, joining the ranks of wise-beyond-their-years artists such as Angel Olsen and Liz Cooper.
How (VMP Edition) is available at deadgowns.bandcamp.com and on major streaming services. Catch Dead Gowns on Thursday, December 14, at Radio Bean in Burlington.