Breaking dawn is the point of a new beginning, a refresh, and start over. The closing track off BRONSON’s upcoming self-titled debut comes at the very end of a very transcendental, shadowy trip that steadily luminates throughout and crests at “DAWN.”
“It’s such an emotional journey of a song to us,” says BRONSON, the side project from American electronic duo of ODESZA’s Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight, along with Australian producer Tom Still of Golden Features. “The lyrics represent this renewed sense of hope, which feels very needed, now more than ever.”
Worlds apart, BRONSON officially debuted earlier this year, but their initial inception began back in 2018, when the trio decided to break from their respective creative norms and explore something new, and darker, together. Convening on one continent, they hunkered down in a remote area in Berry, Australia, and started recording BRONSON.
When the writing started around “DAWN,” there was a gap that needed to be filled on the album, a missing piece they needed to complete the project and tie it all together. The answer: British producer Orlando Tobias Edward Higginbottom (aka Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs).
“Orlando immediately got what we were looking for,” they revealed. “When he wrote the top line, he managed to capture the themes of the album both conceptually through the lyrical content, and sonically through the melodies he was writing.
Previous fans of Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs’ work, BRONSON initially approached him with the idea for the song, and after he listened to rest of the album, he conceptualized “Dawn” and wrote over the track, unraveling a more textured end-of-journey, a sense of hope, and the perfect ending to a perfectly atmospheric piece of work.
In order to reach the right, ethereal edge, the British producer also offered his drifting vocals to help seal the track. “We’ve wanted to work with Orlando for a long time coming,” they added. “He’s such a versatile and talented artist, both as a producer and a vocalist, and we knew he would add something special to the track, which is exactly what he did. He was able to communicate such emotion through the tone and energy that he channeled, and we really couldn’t have pictured a more fitting feature to end the album with.”
Cathartic and moving from its first beat, BRONSON ebbs and flows through ten tracks of melancholy, dreamy soundscapes that ultimately lead into the lightness of “DAWN” with Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs floating vocals through lyrics “Take a step forward / trust in the darkness / trust yourself” just touching the surface of the sweeping sonic bursts.
“I’m very proud of where this song ended up, and grateful to the guys for bringing me in to be part of their project,” shares Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs of the collaboration.
Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs photo by Pia Riverola
Finely weaved, “DAWN” is BRONSON’s perfect ending. “It’s the final track on the album and we think it really ties together so many different themes and emotions felt throughout,” says BRONSON. “Sonically, it’s very different from most of the other tracks, but it’s almost as if it synthesizes the larger project in a way and makes it come full circle.”
BRONSON hope the album can offer some hope in during very uncertain times. “We never want to dictate how someone listens to our music and what they take away,” says BRONSON. “Part of what makes music so cathartic is that you can take and hear what you need from it and we really aspire for the project to be this form of relief for people. That said, ultimately, we hope it creates an uplifting journey for the listener and is able to help people with whatever they are going through in their life.”
Listen to “DAWN” above and through these streaming services.
