Watch Dawes Sing Gnarly Rocker ‘One of Us’ on ‘Conan’
Dawes demonstrated their live prowess on last night’s episode of Conan, giving a swaggering performance of the song “One of Us.”
A scuzzy rocker from their latest album We’re All Gonna Die, “One of Us” opens with the heavily distorted guitar and keyboard attack of Taylor Goldsmith and Lee Pardini, shifting to a walking, single-note riff that evokes the grandeur of classic Seventies rock via Led Zeppelin. Goldsmith’s lyrics address a hapless black sheep, alternately amused and frustrated at the often-perplexing actions of her family. The rousing chorus is both balm and rallying cry that you can always choose your family when your family doesn’t make sense to you: “You look like one of them, but you talk like one of us / Everything they’re telling you is wrong,” sings Goldsmith.
We’re All Gonna Die was released in September 2016 and includes the songs “When the Tequila Runs Out” and “Roll With the Punches,” which the group performed recently on the Late Show With Stephen Colbert. In February, they issued We’re All Gonna Live, a streaming-only live version of the album. This summer, they’re expected to play numerous shows, including supporting dates with Kings of Leon, John Mayer and Willie Nelson.