Jean Dawson is a groundbreaking artist. It’s awesome. And he just dropped his new single “MENTHOL*” with Mac Demarco. He described working on a song with DeMarco as “bucket list shit”.

I think what’s really cool about Jean Dawson is that his music is a giant mishmash of different genres and cultures. There are hints of punk, hip-hop, indie rock. But while a lot of genre-bending music sounds unfamiliar and jarring, his music is still digestible to the casual listener. And at the same time, he’s not doing it for the sake of doing it. When asked in a High Snobiety interview “Who is Jean Dawson?” he responded with the following:

That’s the golden question; I have no idea. I’m just as much in-the-know as you are, I think. I don’t come with an objective. It’s not like I’m purposely doing it; I’m not trying to be a genre-bender or whatever they’re calling it — I just like making what I make. I literally don’t have a name for it.”

To me, in a social-media-run world, it’s admirable to just be yourself, make what you want, and not think about it too much.

Nevertheless, “MENTHOL*” featuring Mac Demarco was released Friday. It’s a pop-punk loner’s anthem. The song starts off with a slow guitar and captivating new vocal inflections from Dawson. And he takes off from there, the rest of the song is a headbanger.

Dawson’s next album is rumored to be titled CHAOS, and he’s been teasing it fairly consistently on his Instagram. He’s also released a collection of clothes, with some pieces featuring the word as well. You can find those here on his website. The clothes are pretty dope, I recommend checking them out.

Lastly, if you’re a fan of Dawson and want to see him live he’s going to be supporting Brockhampton on their “Here Right Now Tour” that kicks off early 2022. I’m going to go, very, very excited. Paris Texas and HVN are also joining them on the tour. It’s like a small festival. Either way, make sure to check “MENTHOL*” with the links below.

Have a good one!