Jarrow is the pseudonym and solo project of 20-year-old Dan Oke. 2003 Dream is his debut album, self-recorded at his home in the western suburbs of Melbourne.
You can read the nine-track album as a mixture between an introspective journal and a collection of short stories. It strikes a fascinating balance between funny, unique anecdotes of characters in Oke’s life, and moments of self-confessional loneliness, contentment or hopelessness. There’s nothing dressed up or overdone on 2003 Dream, Jarrow becomes someone you trust and as the album goes on, you feel his highs and his lows, as well as wondering what scene he’s going to set next.
The album opens with Cube, beginning with simple vocals and guitar filtered through a far-away microphone, the track escalates into clarity, and we witness a mournful saxophone solo over bittersweet guitar. Songs like $ Spoilers $ and James Impala are jam-packed with ridiculously groovy basslines, rollicking drums and playful synths, all powered along by jangly, often psych poppy guitar chords and riffs.
[email protected]is an instrumental shoegazy swirl of guitar sounds through a space-echo pedal, it’s both thrilling and placating. Lacking Air is a stripped back acoustic bewail about having to face the pains of both life outside of bed, and also the inevitability of seeing a past partner again. While it does have a shout out to Shannon Noll and Beastie Boys, Ode To Xoy delivers the most lamenting mood of the lot, admitting that whilst he may be looking for answers, there’s still “none in sight.”
Oke’s voice is unapologetically himself, his melodies are colourful and raw, and a perk of the album being so DIY is the little snippets of dialogue you get to hear, contributing to the album feeling personal and distinctive. 2003 Dream is Jarrow’s world and it’s a pleasure to be allowed into it.
BY JESS ZANONI
