Dublin, Ireland [14th June 2024], two of Ireland’s most exciting electro-pop artists Dashoda and Lux Alma come together as co-creators of new single, ‘Sun Stop’, out now.
The track is a collaboration from start to finish, co-written by the pair, produced by Dashoda (Gavin MacDermott) with vocal production by Lux Alma (Alma Kelliher). The video to accompany the song was directed by Dashoda with Lux Alma as co-creator. The pair have a real creative affinity, both leaning towards an 80s synth-flecked sound in their work, with nods to the filmic and the nostalgic throughout.
“I met Gavin in 2022, playing keys in the live videos for his debut EP. We had an instant connection both musically and as friends. I really love his sound and the place where our musical worlds collide feels really natural and right.” says Alma.
Says Dashoda “I focused a little bit more on the sonics and the production, the main hook was something I had written a few years ago and I had Alma in mind to share it with after we performed together last year. When we were working on the lyrics it was a thoughtful, almost meditative, process teasing out the words and the imagery to then build the song.”
The song centres around the exploration of loss and grief, following the sudden death of Alma’s brother Bruce, just over two years ago. Alma explains,
“I actually met Gavin for the first time the night before my brother died so he’s inextricably linked to that moment of shock and life-altering news. He’s been a really good friend to me since then and so he was exactly the right person to collaborate with on a song about that sense of loss. I think it would have been a very different song, had I attempted it alone.”
‘Sun Stop’ is the literal translation of Grianstad which is the Irish for solstice; the moment in the year where the light begins to triumph over the dark. The name for the song was inspired by the audiovisual piece Grianstad by Una Mullally.
The song is accompanied by a striking music video, also released today which was shot and directed by Dashoda on a mix of 35mm and Polaroid cameras. He remarks “you don’t know for sure what images you’ve captured until after you get the film back from the lab. The polaroids, on the other hand, are instant. Both are exciting. I was really inspired by the film Aftersun, by the sensitivity of the storytelling with the visual aesthetics of polaroids and DV footage. Sometimes images can feel more profound than the moment they capture, that could be the fault of nostalgia. In the end though, whatever camera you use, the photo is whatever you put in the frame.”
Connect with Dashoda
Instagram | Spotify | YouTube | TikTok | Bandcamp | Soundcloud
Connect with Lux Alma
Instagram | Spotify | YouTube | Bandcamp | Soundcloud
