STREAM: Nakamara "Dopamine"

Fans of Nakamara can confirm that there is something addictive about the group’s unique flavor of jazz-funk psychedelia. Luckily, the band is always eager to provide Dentonites with another hit–this time in the form of "Dopamine."

That’s right: after a brief summer hiatus, Nakamara is back to work crafting the soulful tunes that Dentonites know and love – albeit with a slight difference in tone, if the band’s newest single is any indication.

Stylistically, “Dopamine” falls comfortably into traditional Nakamara canon. The song’s syncopated rhythms, subterranean bass and percussion set it apart from typical house show fare. However, longtime fans might notice a thematic difference between the band’s newest single and their usual work. Though Nakamara’s music is often introspective, “Dopamine” is downright existential. In the words of vocalist Samuel Decker, “[The song] is kind of a story about a person being stuck in their own head, trying to find their place in the universe.” As such, the single deals with themes of the mechanistic nature of emotion, the illusion of individuality, and the paradoxical isolation and interconnectedness of human experience. 

Despite its heavy subject matter, “Dopamine” takes an absurdist approach to these philosophical quandaries and ends on an optimistic note. After all, as the single asserts: “We’re all the same, but we’re happy just to be who we are.”
 

Album artwork by Brent Zerbo
Header image layout designed by Christopher Rodgers