by mariah estran
photo courtesy of dark side of light
Moist, an adjective that has gotten quite the hate due to its ability to make someone squirm the second it rolls of the tongue. However, one alternative duo, Dark Side of Light, gave it a funky makeover by using it as their new song title.
“Moist," is the sexy-little-number that introduces their well-developed, eclectic sound, and witty lyricism. They put listeners through a psychedelic trance by integrating groovy bass loops with distorted guitar licks – making a memorable release, to say the least.
Earlier this month, The Dark Side of Light took the song to new heights by dropping a corresponding music video. The visual considers how men handle the concept of femininity. Frontman Nik Frost dons dramatic face paint completed with light-catching jewels as cool-tone hues fill the room. It’s the perfect way to burn themselves within a listener's mind, and they’re just getting started.
We spoke with Dark Side of Light about “Moist," how they have developed their addictive sound, the story behind the music video, and what they are planning next.
You’ve recently released “Moist,” a track that showcases an alluring alternative sound by integrating groovy beats with distorted guitar. What was the creative process like while developing this track?
Dark Side of Light: “We took two drummers and put them into a room together and had them jam to this sick base loop recording it live with a stereo mic. It sounded almost like samba or something which opened up the song to a whole new world. The actual audio at the beginning of the track is us playing live in the rehearsal space. I think what we created is one of the best tracks on the record.”
The title of this track is a word many find displeasing. However, you were not scared to go with it! How did you decide this was the name to use?
DSOL: “We're decidedly an alternative project and go, for the most part, for what makes us happy as musicians. The project has never been built around the idea of having any kind of real popular success. If it were to come, great, if not, that's great too. We make dope shit we love. We were having such a difficult time with quarantine at the beginning, we needed to make music and really wanted to do something that we thought was cool. The baseline and the vibe of the song was so dirty, I wanted a raw title that alluded to something that was a bit provocative and mildly offensive. It feels like that word has those attributes and works in those capacities.”
You have now released the music video for “Moist." What was the inspiration for the visual, and how does it reflect the track?
DSOL: “I'm absolutely in love with Grant's drum performance on this track and I wanted to visually feature the groove and the drum fills in the body of the video. There's something called ‘the fulcrum’ that great drummers engage for a feel and this song is a perfect example of a drummer at his best laying down a groove that makes a song work entirely. The base loop was nothing until Grant played on it. As far as the art direction, I've always been into surrealism and that type of psychedelic mode of expression. The band and players are basically in a dead, empty, negative space presenting themselves in these different colored lighting elements. It's all about human performance. There's also a female/male duality that obviously comes into play here which Alaina Wilson and Mollie Adamson helped portray. For centuries, in different variances of hermetic magic and ancient cultures, women are thought to present the moon, the darkness, ‘mystery’ or ‘the unknown’ and men are thought to present the sun, light, ‘knowing.’ I've always thought this was hilarious as these concepts were all conceived by men who did not understand women because they were not women and generally afraid to face their own femininity, making women dark, mysterious creatures. Me, putting on the makeup and purposefully using sequins and metallic make-up as a kind of ode to glamour was a quiet form of purposeful emasculation. We're currently inundated with images of men running rampant in our culture, buying gigantic pick up trucks and guns, beating their chests while they comb their beards. I thought it would be fun to take a different approach to how I presented myself as a man in today's popular culture. During all of my posturing, Grant's just being his cool ass self...”
Why was this song the perfect introduction to who Dark Side of Light is?
DSOL: “The song just feels right: it has these extra bars that don't belong. The chorus is essentially me repeating the word ‘two’ a couple of times over a period of bars that, in a traditional sense, is way too long. It is not ‘traditional’ song writing, it's ‘interesting’ songwriting. It doesn't emanate from subby hip-hop beats or acoustic guitars, it emanates from this dirty ass, rubbery sounding, wicked baseline. Dark Side of Light isn't supposed to be groundbreaking, but it's not supposed to be traditional. It's supposed to be fun and natural and what we find interesting as artists. This song encapsulates these ideas perfectly.”
How did the band find such an engaging sound? Who have been some musical inspirations?
DSOL: “Firstly, thank you very much for the compliment. I like to think it's engaging as well. I grew up in the electronic music scene in Europe and when it became vastly popular, lost interest in it and started working with live musicians in a more traditional musical environment. After a lengthy period of time doing that, I temporarily lost interest in it and wanted to do something from a completely different perspective. Two guys staring at each other with guitars, bores the shit outta me. When Grant and I started making music together, we wanted everything to be different, and to answer your question, it is different because everything emanates from drum performances. Grant would sit down to play and I would say, ‘Play some dope shit that you wish you could play to a song that doesn't exist.’ I guess that's why it truly is different. Some of the bands/projects that have informed our sound are Roy Ayers, Massive Attack, Tame Impala, Ariel Pink (not so much now that he's showing up at Trump rallies) CSNY, Beach Fossils, etc.”
Lastly, what can you tell us about what you’ve got planned next? An EP or an album?
DSOL: “We are always creating so we definitely have at least two albums of material currently recorded but plan on dropping a six song EP before releasing an LP out of respect for the modern listener's ability to take in new music.”