SYDNEY DUO DUST OF US DELIVER DRAMATIC NEW SINGLE ‘PUNCHING BAG’ FEATURING JESS CHALKER
Following a string of striking visual releases this year, Sydney’s Dust Of Us back it up for the final months of 2020 with their brand new single ‘Punching Bag’. Taken from the pair’s forthcoming debut EP which is due in February, the single is darker in tone and feel, with Dust Of Us collaborating with vocalist Jess Chalker; the additional dynamic bringing added drama and weight. “If you don’t know me now, then you will never know me at all.”
The twists and turns of ‘Punching Bag’ highlight the unique musical chemistry between brothers Ed and Lloyd Prescott. As haunting and smoky as it is propulsive and immediate, it blends a mix of electronic details and ethereal indie influences.
The track came together across three different countries. The Prescott brothers recorded all the music on the NSW Central Coast, before Chalker sung her parts at home in London. The whole thing was then wrapped up with a beautiful mix by Matthew Neighbour (Matt Corby, The Avalanches, EGOISM) in his Los Angeles studio.
“It’s a pretty dark song about someone emancipating themselves from a dire situation. To me, you can read it either as a metaphorical punching bag or literal, ie. from the perspective of someone whose partner physically abuses them. Most of the lyrics came out pretty subconsciously but at the time, I was reading Jess Hill’s brilliant book ‘See What You Made Me Do’, and I think some of the themes of that book seeped into the song. We asked if our friend Jess Chalker would sing on it, her voice is stunning. It feels simultaneously strong and vulnerable at the same time, and that was what the song required.”
Ed Prescott, Dust of Us
For the ‘Punching Bag’ video, Dust Of Us teamed up with longtime collaborator Thomas Calder (aka Daggy Man) to match some impressive and impactful visuals to the music. Incorporating dark colour schemes and intensity in illustration and animation, Calder’s work speaks to the intimacy of the track, while also leaning into the murky, brooding nature of the arrangement.