‘I was wandering far and wide, searching low and reaching high…’ So opens ‘Rain and Sun’, the latest release from Dual Citizen. A relatable enough pop lyric, but brought into context when you know the song was written inspired by the artist’s vision quest in the Pacific Northwest and a spiritual experience in a mystic forest. (Mystic forests do help, it’s much harder to have spiritual experiences in one’s kitchen.) But whether vision quests are your bag or not, it’s produced a pretty infectious track.
Dual Citizen – Rain & Sun
Dual Citizen, a.k.a Jason Heninger, is a musician and producer from the Bay Area, describing himself as having multiple influences but all under a pop umbrella.
‘Rain and Sun’ is an irresistible rainforest pop track – think Toto for the modern age.
It’s full searching imagery and feelgood lyrics – ‘All we need is love, no more thinking’, sings Dual Citizen in his joyful vocals (with some nice high notes, I might add) as he has a vision of all the spirits in the world ‘dancing with the rain and sun’. The melodies are incredibly hooky too, with a sneaky little 5/4 time signature that somehow doesn’t feel out of place.
There’s some lovely production too, with birdlike synths, and I think actual bird noises dropped in to emulate that wandering-in-the-forest feeling. The bass is funky and the handclaps energetic, but the tropical guitar lines keep it mellow. Plenty of catchy calls and responses in the vocals too, lots to hum along to. There’s a definite 80s-90s retro vibe, and heaven knows that unabashedly feel-good songs aren’t trendy right now, but maybe Dual Citizen can bring them back.
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Words eden Tredwell
