Although Australian Oliver Hugh Perry, who records as D.D Dumbo, has only released one five-track, self-titled EP to date, his material already shows impressive range and cohesion. After all, even when limited to the EP’s 18½ minutes, he manages to use a 12-string guitar and a variety of loop pedals to create an ambiance of dark and nuanced folk that’s enriched even further by layers of exotically mirrored melodies. And just when the listener gets comfortable in the EP’s psychedelic tribal territory, Perry throws in a sprinkling of even more genre-bending elements which might be questionable if they weren’t handled with such finesse. In his hands, however, even the twee jangle of “Dinghy” and the ’60s girl-group drum beat and vocals of “Crying” make perfect sense.
Of course, it’s opening track and single “Tropical Oceans” that seems to capture the essence of the D.D Dumbo sound best. And lyrics like “I opened my skull you were looking at me / Oh you and your cousin’s Chihuahua” showcase his blend of the mundane with the bizarre perfectly; while the song’s folksy structure seems familiar, there’s an alien quality to the sharpness of much of the sound, and deep, quavering guitar notes add an uncertainty to the music’s otherwise inexorable push. Put differently, each instant of “Tropical Oceans” seems to possess infinite aural depth despite moments of simplicity. There’s no question D.D Dumbo is one to watch.