Right Where You Are, the first instalment of innovative South Australian artist Dustyn‘s highly anticipated debut EP, Midnight Movements, made waves on all streaming platforms on September 20th.
Previously known as the frontman of beloved South Australian blues-rock band Wanderers, Dustyn recently performed for the first time under his own name at the 2024 Adelaide Guitar Festival and was received with a standing ovation and raucous applause.
Mixed by Grammy-winning producer and composer Francois Tetaz and featuring string arrangements by renowned Melbourne-based musician Ross Irwin, Right Where You Are is sonically full and boasts a cinematic magnitude. Its sound is timeless and sweeping.
In honour of the single’s grand scale and lush sound, Dustyn has presented us with his top five ‘cinematic’ tracks.
Sufjan Stevens – Chicago
I could just about pick any song from Sufjan’s brilliant album Illinois, but this particular song is one I always come back to. I don’t go a week without the chorus string lines getting stuck in my head.
The way the song loops and builds, the way the counter melodies intertwine – it’s honest, cinematic, playful, and a journey that makes me feel like the main character in whichever environment I’m walking about in while it plays on my headphones.
Ironically, it doesn’t sound like Chicago to me. It’s more like driving up towards Canada, Alpine territory, and North Dakota, perhaps.
Jordan Rakei – Midnight Mischief (Tom Misch remix)
This track tugs at my heartstrings in a big way. It has a darkness about it that has been a little too much for some people I’ve been excited to show the song to, especially with the extra touches by Tom Misch on this particular version.
Ghostly synth and string countermelodies reappear throughout the track to greet each other in the most satisfying of ways. The song is sexy and sombre at the same time, leaving the listener without any real release. I think it’s brilliant.
Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory – Pure Imagination
We all know it; we all love it. Mysterious, quirky, catchy, dark, beautiful… This song captures the madness of Willy Wonka’s world perfectly. The tempo sways, the pulse is there, and then it’s not, as dependable as Willy Wonka’s own sanity. Lyrically beautiful and musically stunning, I think it’s one of the most brilliant pieces of music… period.
The Wizard of Oz – Dorothy Enters Munchkinland
The house has fallen down; the dead silence is palpable… Dorothy steps out of the door into a technicolour world for the first time. You’d be forgiven for not noticing the music in this moment as what’s happening on screen is so incredible… But for me, this moment is one of musical brilliance and a big inspiration for the bridge section in Right Where You Are.
Vocal harmonies have been arranged to sound like the wind, which is cool enough, but this wind and these vocals are eventually joined by strings and other instrumentation to create a musical masterpiece that intertwines many of the catchy melodies from songs to come later in the film. It’s subtle yet brilliant. It inspired the way I’ve layered my vocals coming out of the bridge into the last chorus. I wanted it to feel like the song was stepping into technicolour.
Lior – Daniel
I love a good intro, and this song has one of the best. Definitely an inspiration for the ghostly string opening on Right Where You Are. Lior’s Autumn Flow album is up there for me in terms of songwriting, production, and arrangement all around… but this particular track highlights the brilliance of Lior’s ability to blend pop and cinematic darkness together.
It was also the first time I came across Francois Tetaz’s work, who produced and mixed this record. He also turned out to be the perfect guy to put the finishing touches on my track, and this might not be the case had I not fallen in love with this record in high school. Cinematic, wide, lush, curious, distant, close… It’s everything.
‘Right Where You Are’ is now available on all streaming platforms.
