Photo by William Southward
The artistic movement known as Dadaism emerged in the early years of the 20th Century as a reaction to growing international unrest and widespread corruption of global capitalist systems that were steadily chipping away at the core of national economies. The expanding gulf between the haves and the have-nots as a result of uneven wealth distribution and overextended colonial empires was a major cause of The Great War and set events in motion for a socialist ideological renaissance that would define the remainder of the century’s most notable conflicts. Dadaists, as a loosely connected school of thought, sought to stand in opposition to the so-called logic and rigid conformity of capitalism’s aesthetic opulence by creating absurdist works of art, expression, and dissent that furthered far-left ideologies through the lens of modern life’s chaotic, unpredictable nature.
Fast forward a hundred years and the world once again finds itself in a similar predicament. Political corruption, economic disparities, and social unrest are old problems that are once again fanning the flames of conflict both physical and philosophical. Enter a new wave of Dadaism that is beginning to work its way into the wider consciousness through mainstream vehicles like the feminist, Burton-esque acid funhouse of Cardi B’s and Megan Thee Stallion’s video for WAP, or the subversive treatise on the danger of two-dimensional conspiracy theories in the face of a global health crisis delivered with a wink by Chromeo’s latest, Clorox Wipe.
While Dadaist ideals are making their occasional break into the mainstream, the intentionally bizarre have been running amok in the underground for a while. Enter Wasuremono, a British group whose left-field sonic expressionism has earned them high profile spots opening for fellow psychedelic impressionists The Flaming Lips and modernist singer-songwriter Phosphorescent. Riding high on the success of their 2019 sophomore release, Are You OK?, the band surge back with their latest sherbet colored single, “Big Big Smiles,” a big, big chaotic bouillabaisse of sounds and voices with plenty of angst behind the gritted teeth of a Cheshire grin.
“Big Big Smiles” is ADHD in musical form, all skittering beats and nervous rhythms beneath a tidal wave of multi-tracked, pitch modulated vocals screaming into the void like a chorus of hyperactive chipmunks. The track begins reasonably enough, framing up as a big, festival-ready psych pop anthem that recalls radio-friendly bubblegum along the lines of Foster The People’s Pumped Up Kicks, but just as the notion of predictability begins to set in, Wasuremono pull the rug out from under and the track begins a tumbling descent down a kaleidoscopic rabbit hole of never-ending sensory overload. The repetitious rhythms hit like an oversized inflatable hammer wielded with terrifying abandon by an over-caffeinated clown, pummeling the listener with happiness until they either give in or freak out.
This is where the concept of Dadaism manifests itself within the track, leveraging the completely absurd and confrontationally optimistic as a weapon against the constant barrage of negativity saturating the news feed. “Big Big Smiles” is the act of sticking your tongue out at a line of riot armored police while holding a flaming Molotov behind your back. An act of resistance so potent that it inspires shrieks of laughter brighter than artillery tracer rounds viewed in an infrared scope. An unstoppable outpouring of pure energy that burns away reason and logic leaving only billowing clouds of irrational giddiness to disperse like tear gas canisters hurled back into the faces of state-controlled aggressors.
“Big Big Smiles” is streaming on Spotify. Follow the band on Instagram.
