Jean Dawson is set to release his album Chaos Now next month, and the singles have been serving as exciting previews, whether it’s the invigorating earworm “Three Heads” or the eccentric banger “Porn Acting.” Today, he’s back with “Pirate Radio.”
The song starts off as strikingly gentle and vulnerable — a noticeable departure from his previous bombast. But of course it builds into something bigger, while still retaining its seriousness. It proves his range; his humor is endearing, but he also has no trouble letting intense, heavy feelings take the driver’s seat as well.
In an interview with Uproxx, Travis Barker cited Dawson as one of his key musical discoveries of 2020, saying, “That record is amazing, and he’s still kind of slept on. Not that many people know about him, and hopefully you and I talking about him helps get his name out there even more. He made an incredible album. […] He’s someone that’s really taking genres and throwing them all together and doing something different, in a time where so many people determine what their sound is gonna be like by whatever’s popular on the radio. And then you have a fresh breath of air like Jean Dawson. Like, thank God, you know?”
Listen to “Pirate Radio” above.
Chaos Now is out 10/7 via P+. Pre-order it here.