Let me take you back to the dark days of 2016; a year where we as a publication regretfully covered Dot.s far less than they deserved. The group’s sophomore LP, We Swim, was a bright, kinetic affair full of whimsical pop jams that continued to delight long after the songs had left your speakers. I’d like to think the group was a casualty not so much of neglect, but of a exemplary time where Atlanta and Athens was bursting at the seams with great music. Either way, though, the result is the same: we dropped the ball and Dot.s got overlooked—at least by us.
Which brings me to this video. Directed by Dot.s founder Ryan A. James and produced by Michael Morales, “Little Words” is likely the last thing we’ll post from 2016, so consider this something like the closing of a door. Or in this case, a very cryptic portal. With its pristine lakeside pool backdrop, the video seems like an appropriate visual accompaniment for the song’s lush melodies and breezy grooves, only with the added tension of—oh, I don’t know—drowning and death. Close your eyes and listen, and you’ll likely see nothing but swaying palm trees and seaside sunsets. But onscreen it’s bloody eye sockets and corpses floating face down in what had hitherto been a place of calm serenity (or a moneyed paradise, take your pick). If that isn’t a metaphor for America in 2016, I don’t know what is. Demise and decay never looked (or sounded) so good.
Dot.s will perform on Wed., Feb. 1 at Terminal West in support of the Range and headliner Austra. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $17 in advance or $20 DOS. 18+ to enter.
More Info
Web: dotsband.com
Bandcamp: dotssotsdots.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @dotsmusic
Instagram: @dot.smusic@dotsatl