Ahead of the drop of DIM Comp Vol. 3, a benefit for The Ridgewood Tenants Union, we’re thrilled to present the Brooklyn post-punk band’s killer contribution
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At some point last summer, in a lapse of judgement during which I forgot there’s nothing I hate more than arguing about politics with strangers on the Internet, I ended up in a *literal* chatroom on audio app-of-the-moment Clubhouse discussing the effect of the pandemic on NYC with what, god help me, seemed to be every Republican in the city, including a Post columnist and frequent Fox & Friends guest, a fellow who proudly introduced himself as an editor at Breitbart (aka someone I’d rather die than share physical/virtual/any space with) and another who, when discussing a past mayoral election, lamented the fact that “Staten Island couldn’t save us,” a claim that I don’t think my very left brain has the ability to actually compute.
But beyond bogus political views, what was even more disturbing and far more depressing was the group’s collective outlook on life and their pessimistic view of humanity. These people described the city as cold and hostile. They characterized their neighbors as bitter and angry. They expressed pity for themselves and mostly disdain for everyone else, adopting what essentially amounted to an every-man-for-themselves stance while crying about how the New York they loved was ruined and would never, ever be the same.
Given the discussion’s participants, the conversation as a whole veered between very cringy and extremely offensive, but politics aside, it was this particular bit—this mindblowing negativity—that shocked me the most. Primarily because this was the exact opposite of what I had witnessed, experienced and been utterly moved by over the previous year.
While COVID could’ve easily, and kind of understandably, brought out the worst in people, within my primary social group—the music scene—I witnessed a far more positive effect in action: the pandemic seemed to bring out the best in New Yorkers, and almost daily I was reminded of the goodness of people and in awe of the collaboration and community on display. Rather than retreat or lash out, I saw musicians—many of whom had not just lost the ability to do what they love most, perform, but also their actual jobs—unite and collaborate for causes bigger than themselves. From live-streaming to raise funds for endangered venues to donating Bandcamp sales to social justice organizations to creating comps to raise money for non-profits, creatives came together, pooling resources and taking their talent, tools and time to do one thing: help.
However, while this altruism in action has perhaps never been more evident than over the past two years, philanthropic efforts by this community are nothing new, and plenty of people were already doing their part to give back not just during but even before the pandemic. Take, as an excellent example (and the star of this particular post), local indie label Dim Things. Back in December 2019, the local label dropped DIM Comp #1, which featured tracks from Pom Pom Squad, Groupie, Lost Boy?, Nick Cage and more and raised more than $800 for Raices. Six months later, in May 2020, the DIM team released DIM Comp #2 Quarantunes, which featured 27 tracks recorded by bands including True Dreams, Dead Tooth, Karaoke Mood Killer and more during quarantine, resulting in $450 donated to Food Bank for NYC. And now, a year and a half (+ a couple variants) since the latter’s release, I’m thrilled to share Dim Things’ latest endeavor, another testament to not just the just the art but the heart of the Brooklyn music community: DIM COMP Vol. 3!
Set for release on February 4th (Friday), the label’s third compilation features contributions from acts including Dig Nitty, Josephine Network, Scoutt Gillett, Petite League, Raavi, War Violet, Fat Trout Trailer Park, Sweetbreads, Karaoke Mood Killer, Bat Kid, Noverb, CS Cleaners and more locals we love.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to work with a bunch of local bands, both new and long time friends, while also supporting our local community,” Jacob Saxton of Dim Things told me of the comp. “We can turn a little bit of money for tape supplies into a considerable donation to a local organization we care about, all while at the same time hyping up our friends’ new music. It’s been a while since our last one, and we are really excited to be doing it again. Expect more soon!”
When Jacob emailed be about the forthcoming release, I immediately called dibs on premiering the Fat Trout Trailer Park track. After seeing the band’s name popping up on every other flyer on my Instagram feed for months, I finally caught them opening for Razor Braids at Union Pool in early December, and while there were 1000% fewer banjos than I expected given the group’s Big Mouth Billy Bass-sounding band name, I immediately fell in love with the sick tunes and the awesome energy on display.
So without further (!) ado, here it is: “Scam Likely,” the newest from Fat Trout Trailer Park.
“We’ve long been a fan of Dim Things for their involvement and commitment to the community,” the band told me of their contribution over email. “With a four-track EP coming out late this spring, we are excited to be able to share a B-side ahead of release. ‘Scam Likely’ felt like a good fit for the compilation and a glimpse of whats to come.”
DIM COMP Vol. 3 comes out Friday, but you can pre-order it on Bandcamp now. As for FTTP, you can catch the band Thursday night on what’s basically the bill of my goddamn dreams with Climates, Grand Army Reapers and Pamphlets at The Broadway. (Tickets here.)
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Beyond promoting this killer compilation and sharing this rad new song, I also want to use this (very long) post as a thank you to the creatives who keep fighting the good fight to make the world a little bit better. This community is a goddamn beautiful thing to be a part of and it’s been both sincerely heartwarming and incredibly inspiring to witness how everyone does what they can and gives what they can to help those in need. This is what humanity is, y’all, and this is the real New York. Never forget that. Let’s keep up the good work.
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Follow Dim Things at @dim_things and check out their releases on Bandcamp.
Follow Fat Trout Trailer Park at @fattrouttrailerpark, buy their music on Bandcamp and add their songs to your Spotify playlists!
Feature image (provided by the band): Jill Verhaeghe