Last Friday I stopped by an Otherfeels house show to check out Dawkins, the newest output to the D.C. music scene — and I’ve got to say, they are one hell of a live act. They play a particular brand of Animal Collective-meets-My Morning Jacket inspired “experimental splatter pop” with smooth, echoey vocals layered on top.
Dawkins consists of five Bethesda raised dudes who got their start trading demos online while all attending separate colleges across the country. Â There’s a certain sixth sense to the way they play live, an innateness that only comes from years of knowing each other and developing taste levels together. Â It goes without saying that to become a live band with a show as tight as theirs was last week, that’s a pretty impressive feat in it’s own right — especially when they haven’t put any tracks out until now.
BYT is ecstatic to debut the premiere of “Bad Faith,” Dawkins’ first official release to the public — and it’s a real gem. Â Visually, the video is full of WWII video propaganda, which seems ever fitting in these intense cultural and political times. Sonically, the track plays homage to Kid A era Radiohead, highlighted surprisingly at the halfway point with this amazing bass guitar beat that borders on experimental jazz. The vibe is woozy and the vocals are hypnotic. It’s a great introduction to a band pressed to do great things.
Go on and have a listen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUCokPhH79s
BONUS: Dawkins will be playing Saturday at BYT and The Hirshhorn Present: Ragnaröck A Hirshhorn Late Night.  Doors open at 8 p.m. Dawkins will uniquely recreate a live performance of Ragnar’s exceptional “The Visitors” exhibit requiring them to play a live 45 minute set simultaneously while in different locations of the museum.
