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Dichotomania

by Matt O'Leary

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1.
Shadow Work 01:35
To raise a challenge was a courage you could say But caustic signals were confronted anyway One year’s contempt sent in weakness too familiar to suspect This shadow work’s finally caught up with what’s better to protect A walking contradiction Recluse in ringing halls Avoiding contact through it all Untie these vaunting pleasures Bring order to the cause Just send the letter of the law
2.
They fall (ah) She’s the center of life but it wasn’t enough They all fall They all fall They all fall away from the way it is And all the mothers offering their only son Body morphing status dwarfing as the girls run The devil doesn’t care who does his bidding Certain lies come in time and rid the matriarchal vine First repose, arrow knows She’s not afraid of snow at home Works with willing hands to hold Sharp and stable as she goes Rebel in the cause
3.
I gather up your subtle weaknesses for my defense shirt and tie facade gilded smile and nod and keep them underneath your pillow for when I break in together, but are we together really at all? fire with fire and failing be near, revere me simmering coals still to carry will you help me through? a helper not a lesser or simply an afterthought leave and hold fast as the two become one what better way to undermine the picture’s potency? stir ancient enmity? separate union in the face of the son ezer kenegdo him and her the world in kind power under all aligned
4.
Take no offense all I have is two cents But take a drive before you buy In your world there are always fish in the deep through the window you see Attention rapt, a fortune fast To find yourself out there On my own, waiting By the phone, preying Desperate eyes, Mr. Idle Eyes Overall they’re good intentioned Pseudo sane but never out of line New wave of ordinary people You’d swear the acts of distant culture Virgin prize and elephant in stone Catch on to ordinary people Not to be mean Don’t take this the wrong way But you and I, we both know I’m just thinking out loud Catch on to ordinary people
5.
Steeple 04:02
two approach alone you look down and I look down and cisterns overflow rabbits in the hole formed to fit the mold fumbling with the character I’m trying to uphold introvertigo heed to father time only seven hours to connect with the divine only you and I all this acting’s worth it if over me, universal harmony and bustling here underneath, are rare birds reaching all at risk the thought of this unknown deadwood in the vine cleansing immolation is a need from time to time Perseus aligned all this acting’s worth it if over me, universal harmony and bustling here underneath, are rare birds reaching up all at risk the thought of this I forgot to fake the way I was feeling, and it turned out for the best
6.
Oh, Divider 02:03
The raven who reaps Could it be so? And flora that labors and leans Steward or ghost? Finally armed and readied by the horn Or led to the hills in the terror of the Lord Careless in the coming of the storm The look on your face bears witness against all
7.
Be the Club 01:57
8.
Gramercy 04:16
Under the glove box light I couldn’t have been more sure Trace in the backseat asleep The perfect buffer for overeager me I had to take it slow Had to get it right An unfamiliar glow A beacon so bright Power, over me Presence, over me Of certainties to come You were the first one That Christmas in Gramercy The moment better than any memory Power, over me Presence, over me
9.
Joe 03:50
Boy, wistful avatar Ball thrown in the yard Enemies unknown One of three to stand alone Dog held in the road Character unseen, almost Rags to rich in spirit Gone, terrible and cruel Off to Hershey school Soil to be grown through Rags to rich in spirit
10.
To lose all due respect Just tolerate at best A freakshow manifests All unto his own Behold and see the night Black shadows over ice Two elbows red and raw Justice for us all A member, an actor answers to the press Retreats with his wife to a mansion in the West And all along castigating tradition A lefty bathes in the sun To lose all due respect Just tolerate at best A freakshow manifests All unto his own
11.
12.
First Fruits 03:24
Clever, cool and trenchant stare Nothing left that I could bear Caught a glimpse just for a time ‘Round the apple covering my eye Shaky speech or cast-list blues (I know I know I know I) Razor to the legs at school (I know I know I know why) All my thoughts thrown up at the wall Some will stick and most will fall And it’s these I’ve held from you Shards and fragments of the truth

about

Dichotomania is an exercise in melodic maximalism. Noodling acoustics and vocals anchor the sound, while an assembly of midi bleeps and bloops flesh things out, adding dense layers of harmony and playful flourishes throughout.

Themes include major-key-veiled cultural critiques highlighting tribal divisions of our time between left/right, globalist/localist, etc. Other dichotomies like male/female and justice/mercy are presented with strong biblical overtones. There are diary-entry esque moments like First Fruits or Steeple and haunting softies like Joe and Oh, Divider.

It's the bedroom pop version of indie prog from the likes of The Reign of Kindo or The Dear Hunter. Influences range dramatically from Alex G to Steven Wilson, Carrie & Lowell-era Sufjan to late-aughts pop rock like House of Heroes or Coheed & Cambria.

credits

released October 7, 2022

Nina O'Leary (female vocals & lyrical contributions throughout)

Jenna Holst (violin)

Kurtis Haider (electric piano on Shadow Work)

Patrick Dobrinen (mastering)

Jocelyn Reiter (cover art)

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all rights reserved

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about

Matt O'Leary Minnesota

Hundreds of voice memos waiting to see the light.

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