[PREMIERE] Shallows: Summer Sucks

Shallows is the brainchild of two aspiring Los Angeles songwriters, conceived in a dilapidated dining room “studio” in Koreatown. Singer Dani Poppitt and Guitarist/Producer Marshall Gallagher met briefly at an out of control house party, and after a series of awkward post-party Facebook messages decided to have a writing session. After collaborating on just one song, a rare co-writing chemistry became apparent. Dozens of sessions and a year and a half later, Dani and Marshall have zeroed in on a sound that is delightfully cheeky and retro, yet every bit as polished and anthemic as anything on the pop charts.

“Summer Sucks” is shallows’s debut single, a lament of a tired relationship under the slow crushing weight of the latest California heat wave. The track is a delirium-inducing disco groove that recalls elements of Michael Jackson and Ace Of Base, before exploding into a massive synth-heavy chorus worthy of Katy Perry or M83. Dani’s dreamy vocals fluctuate between apathy, desperation and at times a sort of impassive optimism. It serves as both a tongue in cheek summer jam and a gloomy breakup song.