The new single from Vancouver tunesmith Dey Rose volleys between modern Western, campfire ballad, and big-hair epic.
Dey Rose’s “Hurricane” speaks in a tongue that isn’t heard much these days. Volleying between modern Western, campfire ballad, and big-hair epic, it is yet another snapshot from a continuing romp of musical discovery.
And in the said journey, the twentysomething composer is a nomad rummaging through the rubble and the refuse, in service of both art and verisimilitude. Consistent with her past material—the 2020 EP Panting Heart, and most recently, the single “Mahiwagang Tsubibo”—the tragedian tendencies remain, but with an acute awareness of form and history.
“[It’s] all about the ups and downs in a perfectly healthy relationship,” the singer-songwriter shares, adding, “Love can’t all be highs, like [how] most people portray it. [One’s] got to experience the lows to know the true meaning of being high on love.”
There is an unmistakable theatricality in “Hurricane” that recalls masterworks like The Decemberists’ The Hazards of Love and Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea in mood and tone, but with the affective pipework of modern-day chanteuses like Bishop Briggs and Elle King (the latter’s “Ex’s & Oh’s” incidentally inspired the production).
“Hurricane” is guitar rock through and through, and these days that’s more an act of defiance than an expression of stylistic allegiance. The steel-string flamenco, the Pete Townshend single-chord breaks, the gang claps, the ringing fuzz tones: Dey Rose is indeed a child of fiery rock, but her love of soul is palpably ablaze, too.
“[Grit and angst] have always been a part of my music and writing. But [‘Hurricane’] is definitely forging a track in the right direction and signals an exciting creative era for me,” Dey offers, later pledging to a more mindful attitude when it comes to sharing art during these strange times.
“Hurricane”—interestingly a decade-old tune Dey Rose first churned as a teenager—is the second advance single off her upcoming debut LP Evelyn.