DUAL is one of New Zealand’s most exciting acts to watch right now. The eclectic blend of musical influences and the combined talents of classically-trained lead vocalist Maurice Miller and psychedelic guitarist Jamie Pyne make for perfect festival bops - right in time for our Australasian summer.
In fact, if you crank the volume loud enough to a DUAL track, close your eyes and throw your head up to the heavens, like Magic, it’ll feel like you’ve been transported front left to your fave indie bush doof.
And don’t just take our word for it. Earlier this year their elevating Sachi co-penned banger Two Hands Up was on high rotation across both dance and pop radio in New Zealand.
DUAL’s live show is so moving it’s been compared to a psychedelic trip, and promoters have been paying attention. The duo has been booked to play multiple festivals this summer including the world renowned Rhythm & Vines, set to go down in Easter 2022 and the indie tastemaker haven Nest Fest, which has the green (or orange) light to go ahead in early January.
And now with DUAL’s latest release Magic, the duo is making the leap across the Tasman.
The hypnotising tune explores the full circle that comes with a 'push/pull' relationship, from start to finish. Meeting, connecting, then suddenly vanishing into nothing – faster than you can say Houdini.
The track came to life at a song-writing camp, and the duo describe the writing experience being driven by “some other force” – like Magic.
“Each day we were randomly paired with different producers with the aim to write a song. One day we were paired with Henry Beasley (Balu Brigada) and Abi (Missy) whom we’d never meet or worked with before. Magic flowed freely, it was one of those moments in music making where we all knew it was special and that we were on to something - we chased that spark right into the evening and left that night with a finished song,” DUAL explains.
“We were given a studio that was filled with so many great instruments, so we knew from the get-go that we had to make use of them. Sonically everything was recorded using analog gear, upright piano, Rhodes, xylophone, mandolin, guitar, bass, gang vocals, there’s even the sound of a glass dropping on the floor in there!”
With a build that emulates a euphoric roller coaster that never drops, DUAL’s Magic has been on repeat.
Think sonic sunshine, and good vibes, best paired with a cold beer, your dancing shoes, and some Kurt Cobain-inspired oval sunnies.
