Dokodoko & Dreamhour's New EP 'IDK' Is The Soundtrack For The Chronically Uncertain

A promotional image for Dokodoko & Dreamhour's new EP 'IDK'

The absurdity of existence that ails us every once in a while and has us either overthinking or dissociating like it's a full time job is what Dokodoko and Dreamhour's latest EP thematically aligns itself with. Dokodoko & Dreamhour

Published on:

13 Dec 2024, 7:00 am

2 min read

"What am I doing with my life?" is a question that plagues all of us at some point. For me, it's almost every Sunday. On some days I wake up well rested with my favourite breakfast to look forward to, hair looking good, my cat extra affectionate, and something exciting to write about. It feels as if I have a purpose and all is right. On other days, a critic takes over my mind and nothing is good enough including myself. The modern existence, I think, is swinging between these two and everything in between.

The absurdity of existence that ails us every once in a while, and has us either overthinking or dissociating like it's a full time job is what Dokodoko and Dreamhour's latest EP thematically aligns itself with. With 6 tracks, IDK is described by the artists as, "...music born out of confusion, chaos, and occasional clarity."

Imagine a PhD-wielding literary genius and a synth-loving musical maverick from the misty foothills of the Himalayas deciding to throw musical convention out the window and create something that sounds like your most complex inner monologue. That's exactly what Kritika Nepal (Dokodoko) and Debo Sanyal (Dreamhour) have accomplished with this five-track expedition into the beautiful mess of human experience.

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The EP kicks off with the magnetic IDK What It Means, a love child of girly pop and alt rock that makes being lost sound like a blissful liberation. The smoky vocals and sombre atmosphere of What I See brings back the noir-tinged, early Lorde sound. Cruel World taps into the gothic, darkwave tendencies we've all been leaning towards with artists like Molchat Doma & Crystal Castles lately. And the brilliant use of noise and distortion in track 6 upholds its incredible title, idk nothing makes sense maybe i'm dreaming maybe i’m awake maybe I'm just one long weird thought i’ll forget by morning unless it’s already morning idk.

The EP embodies the current Zeitgeist through not just its themes but also its production. Dreamhour has stepped up his game immensly with this one and Dokodoko flaunts her ability to shapeshift into whatever a track needs her to be. As you go through the EP you can trace the influences it inherits from our favourite artists in the last few years. As a lifelong fan of electronic music and all its mutations in pop, hip-hop & dance music, IDK, for my money is one of the best EPs to have come out of the country this year. A soundtrack for the chronically uncertain, it champions the sweet melancholia that makes our lives more romantic and gives it depth & meaning.