Later this month, the LA-based retro-pop auteur Debbii Dawson will release her new EP Where Have All The Good Men Gone? Following the release of the project’s title track, which has already garnered significant acclaim for its sharp craft and infectious personality, Dawson is back with her latest single, “Kool Aid.”
Dawson co-wrote “Kool Aid” alongside industry veterans Justin Tranter and Tommy English, with the latter also serving as a co-producer. The track is a shimmery, irresistible piece of pop music that cleverly juxtaposes a bright, bouncy 80s-inspired soundscape with the darker, more unsettling theme of cult-style devotion. The lyrics, including the hook “I’d do anything that you say/ I would drink your Kool-Aid,” serve as a direct commentary on the nature of blind infatuation and manipulation.
I used to be in a cult. It sounds like a unique ordeal, but this brief time in my life taught me that the experience of being influenced and controlled to your detriment is more common than you think. You might be in a similar situation yourself right now, but blissfully unaware. My song “Kool Aid” is about that feeling. “What do you think about control?” — a cult leader chillingly asked me these exact words, and it’s a question I wanted to ask listeners in this song as well. We all want to believe in something or someone, to belong and experience meaningful connection. When all of these great things are promised to you, it’s very easy to get sucked into something dangerous. We live in a time where our hope is being weaponized. My hope is that this song gets listeners asking themselves questions about what and who they believe in before it’s too late.
The release is accompanied by a music video directed by Aaron Sinclair. You can watch the video below:
The Where Have All The Good Men Gone? EP is scheduled for release on June 26 via RCA.
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