In the very first episode of Next in the Queue I get to sit down with James of dba James. We talk about his musical influences, his upcoming project Check Yes to Connect, and songs he'd listen to if he could only create one final playlist.
With a knack for extracting disarmingly specific imagery, dba James (pronounced “James”) brings the perversely unremarkable to life on Check “Yes” To Connect. Maximalist pop tendencies are fat-washed for melody, sung over caricatured production with lyrics lined in wit and sarcasm. CYTC confronts the now, finding levity in dystopia.
In Randolph, Massachusetts, college-ruled marble notebooks and hard drives sit neatly in stacks on the floor of an otherwise cluttered back office storage room. For the past 3 years, James has sat hunched over a plastic folding table, equipped with a 2012 MacBook Pro, tinkering away into the night.
Quietly uploading odds and ends since 2021, dba James’ songwriting fosters spontaneity among the current homogeny of western music. Although rooted in guitar, genre fluidity and experimentation are the rubric to James’ creative intention – a vehicle to construct setting for vignettes of a confounding present.
Real Fake or Misunderstood? Check “Yes” To Connect.
dba James : James' Playlist| Soundcloud | Spotify | Instagram
