The music video for her new single »How To Feel Uncomfortable« recently sparked a debate about whether she had copied too much of her style from her fellow artist Cate Le Bon. Some people even said it was a »complete rip-off« with a rolling eye smiley. Others mention names like Patti Smith, Bjørk and Lene Lovich. It seems that otherness has many role models, but Dana Gavanski is no cheap copy. On her third album, »Late Slap«, she playfully explores her emotional world and encourages us to embrace discomfort, not be afraid of silly gestures and to let our hair down. The Canadian singer-songwriter draws inspiration from eccentrics like David Bowie and Aldous Harding, who made unsettling facial expressions their trademark. Gavanski sings about the theatrical in »Ears Were Growing«, drawing a parallel with Hollywood shape-shifter Gena Rowlands, who spent her life playing neurotic women, with the line »Take me to the cinema/I want to inhabit the actress!«. Despite the inevitable similarities to artistic icons, »Late Slap« is more of a homage than a copy of its stylistic models. The album convincingly shows us how to face our fears and doubts and explore our own limits.
Mess Esque
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Drag City