Gus Dapperton first captivated audiences with his slow-burning bedroom pop sound on his 2017 debut EP Yellow And Such. But with his upcoming sophomore album Orca, the singer is honing his sound and shifting to more introspective, moody pop ballads. Offering another preview of the record, Dapperton shares “Medicine,” one of his most stripped-down efforts yet.
The singer previously said much of his album was written after he had come off a tumultuous tour. Dapperton was stuck in unhealthy habits on the road and turned to drugs and alcohol to cope. “Medicine” is an example of a track Dapperton penned after deciding to get help. Opening with melancholy piano keys, Dapperton croons a reflection on healing and struggling to kick an addiction. “I always say I’ll get ahead of it / But every time they try to fix me up / I get addicted to the medicine,” he sings.
In a statement alongside the single’s release, Dapperton “this track defines the album most explicitly. I wrote it as a song that would narrate my life. ‘Medicine’ is about someone who is self destructive so that they can get high off of the process of healing. the hurting phase is of no concern to them.” The singer added on Twitter that the track is his “favorite” song he’s ever written.
Listen to Dapperton’s “Medicine” above.
Orca is out 9/18 via AWAL. Pre-order it here.
