Indie-pop singer Gus Dapperton has finally released a new single. “Wet Cement” marks Dapperton’s first original song released in over two years. Though he has been making music since 2015, Dapperton rose to national fame after being featured on the song “Supalonely” by BENEE, which was arguably one of the most popular songs during the early days of the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns. Since then, Dapperton has released one album, Orca, in 2020, which was met with much critical acclaim. Despite this, Dapperton explained how he felt little to no motivation or inspiration throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past two years, Dapperton has only released one other single — a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s iconic “Landslide.” “Wet Cement” shows us what might be next for Dapperton’s career.
The single is a beautiful progression. The beginning of the track is a slow serenade, showcasing Dapperton’s buttery vocals backed only by an acoustic guitar. Gradually, the song builds up momentum as the synth and drums come in and his voice takes on more of a rasp. The song repeats the same chorus at the end as the instrumentals swell, creating a choir effect of overlapping, muffled vocals.
While the track isn’t anything groundbreaking, it’s a fantastic return for Dapperton’s music career. Dapperton is the only listed credit on the single, and it truly is a great example of not only Dapperton’s vocal and songwriting abilities, but his production talent as well. If “Wet Cement” is just the beginning of Gus Dapperton’s next era of music, it’s exciting to think about where he might go next.
Daily Arts Writer Gigi Ciulla can be reached at gigishea@umich.edu.