Track Review: Noods – “Donkey Kong”
Posted: by The Editor
Photo by Michelle LoBianco
On “Donkey Kong,” the new single from the NYC-based indie band Noods, space is the key to clarity. “Keep in touch, read a book, walk outside and take a look,” singer Trish Dieudonne sings during the song’s quiet midsection, surrounded on both sides by rivers of bright and plucky indie pop. It reads like a moment of lucid sincerity in the middle of a breezy kind of “fuck ‘em all” trip. It asks the question: what can a quick breather do to fix the tension of opposing and irreconcilable extremes?
The answer, it turns out, isn’t much, given that those extremes come right back into view as the song shifts back into its breezy hook—“I just want to be on my own/ you don’t want to be all alone.” But that bouncy bass line, those high-pitched and smiling synth chirps, Dieudonne’s infectious repetition (“I just want to be, I just want to be, I just want to be…”) all give me the feeling that, while a little space may not change the past or solve its problems, some distance may help turn the frustration into something else, not exactly happiness but something far from regret.
“Donkey Kong” is a great song because it signals that transformation with a subtlety that doesn’t distract from the fact that it’s ultimately a bubbly and fun indie rock song. It’s easy to immediately love, difficult to get sick of, and rewarding if you choose to dive in a little deeper.
“Donkey Kong” is out now. Noods will release their debut album Blush April 16 on Get Better Records.
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Jordan Walsh | @jordalsh
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