Vancouver band Dumb have been around since 2015, playing their first shows in the dining room of a tear-down in east Vancouver. The four band members, Franco Rossino, Shelby Vredik, Pipe Morelli, and Nick Short, were all part of a larger group of friends that played together often. The quartet has toured extensively, playing shows with Wolf Parade, Parquet Courts, and Dilly Dally, and many more. The band are writing their next album for Mint Records (Kamikaze Nurse, Tough Age, Wares).

Today they have shared a two-song ska influenced single and music video for “Dropout/Sleep Like A Baby”. Guitarist and vocalist Franco Rossino had this to say about the band’s foray into ska: “We love ska, we break out into ska in practice or even at live shows between songs–we love The Specials, Madness, Skatalites, Desmond Dekker, Vital Disorders, The Upsetters, and much more.”

Dumb’s taste in ska even influenced the music video for “Dropout”, which is a nod to “Ghost Town” by The Specials, with a trumpet section blasting Madness-esque throughout. In the song, Franco Rossino uses a critical vernacular to illustrate the frivolous and unnecessary exercises often perpetuated in academic discourse and so called “art-speak”–a departure from complexity towards simplicity and comfort.

The track “Sleep Like A Baby” is an anti-work anthem that preaches a common frustration with the 9-5 grind. The lyrics, “I’ve been banking all these hours and I’m wanting to quit, I could really use a swim in a lake near Tacoma or a big road trip down to Oklahoma” should ring true to many who work for the weekend, or for their long-awaited vacation hours.

Upcoming Tour Dates
Aug 3 – Portland, OR – The Doug Fir Lounge
Aug 4 – Chico, CA – Gnarly Deli
Aug 5 – Arcata, CA – Richard’s Goat Miniplex
Aug 6 – San Jose, CA – Caravan Lounge
Aug 7 – Los Angeles, CA – Moroccan Lounge
Aug 8 – Long Beach, CA – 4th St. Vine
Aug 9 – Las Vegas, NV – The Sand Dollar Downtown
Aug 10 – Reno, NV – The Holland Project
Aug 11 – San Francisco, CA – The Knockout
Aug 12 – Eugene, OR – Sam Bond’s Garage
Aug 13 – Portland, OR – Island Fest
Aug 14 – Bellingham, WA – Grandma’s House

Purchase “Dropout/Sleep Like A Baby” by DUMB HERE