If you're a fan of Grimes, you've probably discovered Nicole Dollanganger, the first artist to be featured in the mysterious Eerie Organization Grimes founded last year. Her doll-like appearance from her bold eyes to her lacy pastel gowns both contrasts and complements her hauntingly sweet voice and grotesque and graphic lyrics, making her an instant cult favorite.
But enough about her, let's talk about her dog. It's no secret that she has a pug, but if you aren't following his account Glam Pug Fred on Bandcamp, you're missing a spectacular display of musical versatility to rival Nicole's herself. And his first release was only last month.
Fred's latest EP, released for free download on 4/20 and titled Pastel Pug, is just under five minutes long, and worth every magical vaporwave second. It has four tracks: "Wheezing," "Bitter," "Yellow Snow," and "Spaghetti Falls."
The first track, "Wheezing," sets the tone for the EP perfectly, with Fred's panting puppy vocals and a peppy '80s beat. I danced. My dog danced. It was beautiful.
"Bitter" is the shortest track on the EP but still carries the motif of shimmery glockenspiel and heavily edited pug noises. This is the one song that leaves me with questions. What is bitter? Is Fred bitter about something? Did Fred have some bad spaghetti? Who would do such a thing to such a sweet precious boy? Fred, I am so sorry that the world is such a cruel place to good pugs like you who just want a nice plate of spaghetti. I wish I could protect you from everything bad out there.
Despite the title, "Yellow Snow" is my mini poodle's favorite track, garnering the most perked ears and wiggly tails. Something about the lyrics that only dogs can understand, I assume. The melody is simple, carried by the bells and Fred's raw baritone, sure to prompt dogs everywhere to sing (well, bark) along.
Oh man. "Spaghetti Falls." Fred took a really big chance here in remixing a classic Grimes song, "Genesis." I definitely would have liked it to be a bit longer, but all in all, Fred's take on it was solid. Who would have expected me to say I enjoyed a pug's play on "Genesis" this much?
Fred, you are a musical genius, and I hope you continue to live your wildest spaghetti dreams.
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