Dijon's 'Baby' Album: A Wild, Experimental Ride Through Sound!
Dijon Duenas, known simply as Dijon, possesses a voice destined for televised singing competitions and soulful gospel choirs. Yet, this thirty-three-year-old songwriter often tempers his remarkable talent, embedding it within lo-fi, experimental arrangements. Since releasing solo material in 2017, Dijon has woven Frank Ocean-inspired R&B into Americana and folk, his singing both raw and dreamy, his compositions initially focused on guitar and gentle percussion.
Dijon's early work felt uniquely detached from time and place, tradition and lineage – tepid yet intriguing, the product of a gifted artist exploring genre-blurring music with minimal equipment. Growing up, Dijon moved frequently due to his parents' military service, living in places like Germany, Hawaii, and Iowa. His diverse heritage – his father from Guam, his mother a mix of Black, Native, and white from the American South – perhaps contributes to his music's wandering spirit, reflecting someone who defies easy categorization.
His 2020 EP, “How Do You Feel About Getting Married?,” showcased a creaky, ragged indie-pop sound influenced by Prince, Ocean, Animal Collective, Bill Callahan, Jodeci, and Arthur Russell. While still scrappy and homespun, these tracks possessed an undeniable magic. His debut studio album, “Absolutely” (2021), subtly reimagined contemporary pop.
'Baby': A Chaotic, Yet Compelling Album
With the release of “Absolutely,” Dijon shared a live video of a performance in what appeared to be a house – a minimal setup with a dining table surrounded by instruments, beer bottles, and coffee cups. This intimate setting perfectly conveyed the homespun nature of Dijon’s music.
His new album, “Baby,” however, feels like “many rooms all at once.” Listeners are transported between contrasting soundscapes, from gentle sunlit environments to spaces painted black and illuminated by artificial lights. While “Absolutely” hinted at such contrasts, “Baby” fully embraces them.
Released soon after his contributions to Justin Bieber’s “SWAG,” “Baby” is a harsh, staticky, and often distorted exploration of domesticity: sex, children, and enduring love amidst chaos. The generous use of reverb creates echoes and refractions, resulting in a vision of R&B that is pure collage, colliding past, present, and future in jagged configurations.
A Challenging, Rewarding Listen
“Baby” isn’t always an easy listen, but it's a rewarding one for those willing to embrace its experimental nature. Dijon's willingness to push boundaries and explore unconventional sounds solidifies his position as a unique and compelling voice in contemporary music.