I’d like to introduce you to the Special Someones. The four-piece from Massachussets is an exciting new project of Shane Dupuy. Perhaps that name doesn’t ring a bell, but Dupuy is the singer/songwriter of one of my favorite bands from the past decade: Laika’s Orbit. That band has been quiet for a while unfortunately, although Dupuy did release a solo EP in 2020 very much in the vein of Laika’s Orbit – I missed that one completely but it is GOOD.
Dupuy sums up his musical career as follows: “Power Pop is a doomed genre, but I’m gonna keep making it.” At ATW, we’re suckers for a statement like that. And Special Someones is another illustration of how Dupuy’s approach pays dividends. The six songs on the EP may a bit more edgy, scrappy, punk and rock’n’roll as Laika’s Orbit (also because Dupuy shares vocal duties with the less polished Jake Sobol, and the songs were self-recorded in the band’s practice space), but it is essentially jangly powerpop. Kickass powerpop that is.
If this was released a couple of week earlier, I’d included it in my EPs of the year list.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp