Dummy is a rock band from Los Angeles comprised of Alex Ewell, Emma Maatman, Nathan O’Dell, and Joe Trainor. Their debut full-length “Mandatory Enjoyment” (Trouble in Mind) arrived in late 2021, becoming one of the year’s sleeper hits and garnering praise from Pitchfork, Stereogum, and more. Coming out of lockdown, the band spent two years touring in support of the record, and it is this transformational experience that pulses through “Free Energy”, the exhilarating follow-up to “Mandatory Enjoyment”.
The second entry from Los Angeles-based quartet Dummy’s new album “Free Energy” is a slippery, groove-infused propulsion through their avant-pop sound. “Nine Clean Nails” is driven by throbbing guitar riffs from Nathan O’Dell and Joe Trainor throughout, while Emma Maatman’s vocals effortlessly ride the crest of the melodic wave. “Unrelenting time / Left to my own devices / On a Saturday night / Expect another apathetic sigh,” Maatman sings, evoking the nihilism of the vaguely referenced, Trent Reznor-led group Nine Inch Nails with none of the ‘90s rockers’ industrial electronica.
Dummy only rely on influences from their own past, reviving their krautrock sound for this new single—deviating from the bubbly, fuzzed-out futurism of “Free Energy’s” lead single “Nullspace,” showcasing a confidence in the diversity emerging from their new sound.
From the new album “Free Energy” out September 6th, 2024 via Trouble In Mind Records
The Fat Angel Sings 