Music We Love: Danz Parti by Puddin Taine
Denton's premier purveyors of party time — Puddin Taine — drop a genre-bending new single.
No newcomers to the Denton music scene, Puddin Taine are known citywide for their playful energy and impishly genre-bending approach to music. True to its mashup form, the band turns listener expectations upside down with “DANZ PARTi,” a new single unlike any party anthem you’ve ever heard.
As modestly put by member Brandon Dowd, “We don’t take ourselves too seriously.” However, don’t be misled — beneath the band's facetious exterior are musicians who wield an innate sense for how to effectively use — and subvert — common musical tropes.
The band’s newest single is evidence of this fact. As its name implies, "DANZ PARTi" sets itself up as a pleasant, albeit somewhat typical, Daft Punk-style party anthem. The robotic vocals, funk and disco instrumentation, and repurposed '70s grooves lend the single the retro-yet-futuristic vibe so pervasive in modern party music.
While the onset of the single leans heavily on classic dance-music tropes, Puddin Taine’s focus on execution saves the piece from veering too far into the realm of cliché. The clean, plucky guitar tones, constantly changing textures, and cleverly syncopated rhythms lend the single a sense of authenticity sometimes absent in similar anthems. This artistic sincerity, coupled with the single’s catchy hook and repetitive dance beat, creates a warmth and familiarity that lulls listeners into a sense of safety.
And then everything changes.
"DANZ PARTi" makes an unexpected, sharp u-turn; the light, clean vocals are suddenly replaced by a gravelly black-metal growl, and the piece shifts from a cheery major key to an austere minor.
The transition is jarring, even disorienting. Further, listeners are never given a chance to readjust. This new atmosphere leaves as quickly as it came, its fade into nothingness accompanied by twinkling piano notes and mournful vocal harmonies.
Admittedly, audience reception of this sharp transition may vary.
So why did Puddin Taine choose to include it? The answer is a testament to how far the band will go to please a crowd, as well as the playful genius they employ in doing so. In the words of Brandon Dowd:
“As far as the transition... We were on a bill with a few metal bands at O'Riley's (the pub in Dallas, not the auto-parts store)… We didn’t wanna come off as a bunch of ninnies, so we whipped up a metal ending to establish our place in the hall of Valhalla. It worked. (And how!) The crowd loved it and we've been guarding the gate for Odin ever since.”
Love it or hate it, there can be no question that the band is dedicated to their audience. Not content to simply keep listeners on their feet, the guys in Puddin Taine are increasingly committed to keeping them on their toes.
Header image by David Williams
Header image design by Christopher Rodgers