Jean Dawson. Photo by Nico Hernandez
Jean Dawson, the genre-hopping alt-rap artist who made one of the best folk-pop songs last year (“PIRATE RADIO*,” taken from his album CHAOS NOW*), is back with two new tracks. “youth+” and “delusional world champion” are the first installment in a new trilogy: according to a press release, Dawson will release two-song drops twice more this year. Of the new tunes, “youth+” sounds like The Cure if they discovered chiptune, and “delusional world champion” blends Bloc Party, jazz bass, and post-punk.
The first episode of the trilogy, represented by these two songs, is called “XCAPE” PT. 1 JEAN DAWSON AS “PHOENIX.” In a press statement, Dawson dove into the title character’s motivations. “Phoenix is a boy on the fringe,” he wrote. “He is described to write with the tenacity of Kurt Cobain and the subversive subjectivity of a David Bowie. Using himself as a mirror for whoever decides to look at him because he is a product of the world rather than a product of perceived individuality. He is a manifestation of misunderstanding unawareness. His ideas are flirtatious, asymmetric and brash outwardly contradicted by his own lack of personal identity. Phoenix is only as real as the listener listening.”
Read Next: Listen to Jean Dawson and SZA’s “No SZNs”
Later this year, Dawson will embark on a tour of the United States. The artist presale begins May 12 until May 18 at 10 pm local time. General sale starts May 19 at 10 am local time. Find more information here and see dates below.
Jean Dawson 2023 tour dates
September 24 - Santa Cruz, CA - Atrium @ The Catalyst
September 26 - Tucson, AZ - 191 Toole
September 27 - Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
September 29 - Oklahoma City, OK - Beer City Music Hall
October 1 - Nashville, TN - The Basement East
October 3 - New Orleans, LA - Toulouse Theatre
October 5 - Durham, NC - Motorco Music Hall
October 6 - Richmond, VA - Richmond Music Hall
October 7 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
October 8 - Hamden, CT - Space Ballroom
October 10 - Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig
October 11 - Cleveland, OH - Cambridge Room
October 13 - Cincinnati, OH - Top Cats
October 14 - Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre
October 15 - Omaha, NE - The Waiting Room
October 17 - Lawrence, KS - The Bottleneck
October 19 - Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre
October 21 - Las Vegas, NV - When We Were Young
October 22 - Las Vegas, NV - When We Were Young
