Dub-punk Trio Tongue Dissolver Share Two New Singles – ‘Red Dirt’ And ‘No Harm’

06 September 2024

Tongue Dissolver, the noisy dub-punk project of Naarm/Melbourne artists Al Thomas (Wet Kiss, bodies of divine infinite and eternal spirit), Ruby Lee (Wet Kiss, bodies of divine infinite and eternal spirit) and Andrew Huhtanen McEwan (Ahm, Huntly, Gregor) share Red Dirt’ and ‘No Harm’. The two new tracks are third in a succession of double singles self-released over the past four months, following ‘Iron Horse Beat’, ‘Turn it Off’, ‘Freaky People’ and ‘Working Hard’.

‘Red Dirt’ is a departure from the skittish gabber which pounds through Tongue Dissolver’s earlier cuts. Exploring themes of belonging, identity and colonialism, the track delves into dubstep territory while maintaining their signature melodic punk edge. The track takes a sharp turn around the three-minute mark, surging into a frenzied, hypnotic trance. “That dog’s got rust in it,” Thomas spits over arpeggiated synths, frantic bass and window-rattling drums.

On ‘No Harm’, a slow-building, acid-infused cut flexing around 70 BPM region, the group continue to explore stacked grooves, sub beats and dub.

Overlapping noisy, rave-oriented punk with thwacking beats and buzzing mechanics that transcend styles and scenes, Tongue Dissolver write and perform music as catharsis; a means to help people – including themselves –, feel empowered, accepted and less overwhelmed in a capitalist society. One of the most-hyped and in-demand acts of the moment, the trio have shared stages with Holy Fuck (Canada), Deli Girls (USA), EXEK, Gut Health and Cable Ties, among others. Earlier this year, the band crossed the ditch to Aotearoa/New Zealand to play the sold-out indie festival, Camp A Low Hum.

The group released debut singles ‘Working Hard’ and ‘Freaky People’ earlier this year, followed by ‘Iron Horse Beat’ and ‘Turn it Off’. Since, they’ve enjoyed ample airplay on Triple R (and scored a coveted live performance slot on their morning Breakfasters program), plays across PBS, 4ZZZ, Edge and RTR, plus FBi Radio rotation.

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