Ambition and intensity are difficult to overstate when describing Ian Deaton’s discography. Never content to settle on a sound or genre, the longtime Atlanta musician has dabbled in everything from noise rock to film scoring, both as a solo act and in groups like Dasher and Knaves Grave. I was first introduced to Deaton’s work through U.S. Drag, a brief collision of post-d-beat chaos that dissolved much too quickly, and was immediately struck by his ability to completely give himself over to whatever project he was working on. This singular focus is most evident in his solo work, whether the underrated standalone album Dekalb Time-Slip or the new single “Palindrome” from his upcoming Moon Howler cassette.
The track is powered by a simple metallic beat provided by an Alesis SR-16, which acts as an uncompromising vessel for the dystopian love song. According to Deaton, “Palindrome” loosely follows a protagonist who experiences a time dilation while meeting a possible paramour. Within this distinct narrative, the SR-16 serves as the thread that ties together disparate inspiration in a streamlined shot to the heart.
Both deliberate and curious, Deaton is able to construct the track with a futuristic mindset grounded by historical markers: in this case, ‘50s AM radio bops and ‘80s mixtape-ready synthpop. The result owes some inspiration to the Ramones, an influence somehow both obvious and oblique. Surprisingly blue collar for a sci-fi track, the gritty yet grounded aesthetic mirrors Deaton’s interest in working with inexpensive equipment in a genre where the price for gear can seem an impassable barrier to entry to anyone other than trust fund art kids.
That artistic decision alone, even more than the content of the song, makes “Palindrome” less dystopian and more of an inclusive inspiration: a utopian love song shaking the foundations of an uncertain world.
Listen below.
Moon Howler is out March 19 via Deanwell Global Music.
More Info
Bandcamp: iandeaton1.bandcamp.com
Instagram: @deatonian
SoundCloud: @ian-deaton