King Ibis’ feverish indie rock eruption “Did You Dim the Lights” is a seductive scorcher – a reckoning with gaslighting and emotional manipulation that roars to life with pure passion and unfiltered emotion.
Stream: “Did You Dim the Lights” – King Ibis
A spirited strut; an intoxicating pulse; an intimate, immersive, and all-consuming eruption.
“Did You Dim the Lights” is a seductive scorcher. An unapologetic indie rock eruption, King Ibis’ feverish new single roars to life with pure passion and unfiltered emotion. It’s radiant, rousing, relentless, and raw; a charged, churning outpouring of energy that leaves us breathless, emboldened, enchanted, and inspired.
Something you do
Makes me want, to help you
Did you dim the lights though?
Something it’s true
I continue, to love you
Did you dim the lights low?
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Did You Dim The Lights,” the second single of the year from Boorloo/Perth-based band King Ibis following this past March’s red-hot “Cooling Embers.” Adored by fans for their dynamic, sun-kissed indie rock music full of fire, fervor, and feeling, the four-piece of Nadene Burchell, John McAndrew, Samantha Goddard, and Matthew Oakley pull from a seemingly endless well of raw passion.
Produced and mixed by Andy Lawson at Debaser Studios (Noah Dillon, Death By Denim, Mitch Santiago), “Did You Dim The Lights” finds the band navigating some challenging, toxic relationship territory that includes (but is by no means limited to) gaslighting and manipulation, among other forms of psychological and emotional abuse, all against a dark, dynamic, sonically and emotionally charged musical backdrop.
Frontwoman Nadene Burchell expresses desire, frustration, denial, and more as she reckons with this supposed partner she knows she should part ways with, but for some reason she can’t yet bring herself to leave. “Little puppy dog make me wanna protect you, but you’re a big boy looking out for yourself,” she sings in the song’s first verse, immediately establishing conflict and setting the tone for what’s to come. “A women’s intuition, my suspicion caught me off guard; why’d I help you? Man, I don’t know...”
Little puppy dog make me wanna protect you
But you’re a big boy looking out for yourself
A women’s intuition
my suspicion caught me off guard
Why’d I help you man, I don’t know
You turn to me and joke
That I’m the one tuned in to the wrong channel
Retrace all my steps, because you know best
Something you do
Makes me want, to help you
Did you dim the lights though?
Something it’s true
I continue, to love you
Did you dim the lights low?
“I wrote this song after navigating a deeply confusing relationship dynamic,” Burchell tells Atwood Magazine. “It was inspired by the 1930s play ‘Gaslight,’ in which a husband manipulates his wife by changing the intensity of the gas lights in their home, making her think she is going crazy and cannot trust herself. At the time, I felt quite disconnected from my own memories and intuition and I had a hard time advocating for myself. With my reality in question, it became increasingly confusing to balance the desire to be a good partner with the need to prioritize my own well-being. I was carrying so much anger, I questioned if I had the right to feel it.”
“With the help of some beautiful and supportive friends, I found the courage to recognize that something was not right, and that simmering animosity was pushing me to make a change. This song became a powerful reminder to break free from self-doubt and finally confront the anger I had been pushing away and ignoring for so long. Ultimately, every experience – good and bad – offers a chance for growth and learning. I no longer feel angry; instead, I have a deeper understanding of how unprocessed emotions and pain from the past can surface in unexpected ways, often hurting those we love most. We are all just doing our best with the tools we have. And of course, I also learned some Italian, which is bellissimo!“
Once I think I’ve got a grip
on my own sanity
I’m losing myself in your bullshit
Amore Mia Tu non sai niente
I can’t translate at this stage what it means
Now you say I’m paranoid
And I’m too emotional
Did you dim the lights down low?
Something you do
Makes me want, to help you
Did you dim the lights though?
Something it’s true
I continue, to love you
Did you dim the lights low?
Now you say I’m paranoid, and I’m too emotional; did you dim the lights down low?
When the lights are dimmed too low, it’s not just hard to see; it’s damned near impossible.
You’re blind to what’s going on with you and around you, to the point where others can manipulate you without you knowing.
We often don’t realize or see the toxicity in our relationships until we’re a ways out of them and already removed from them; often it takes the help of some good friends and loved ones to turn the lights back on so we can appreciate the full truth of our situation, understand what’s going on, and make positive changes in our lives – whether it means confronting that person or ultimately leaving them and cutting ties altogether.
While we’d love for this song to be the full monty, “Did You Dim the Lights” is really just the start of that journey toward a more healthy headspace; Burchell’s narrator is in pain, and she recognizes that something is not “right” in her life. The suspicion is there, but she’s not immediately kicking her partner to the curb. “I still love you ’til the day I die,” she sings in the bridge, “Although I really know I’m better off alone.” If anything, this song is a powerful blueprint to all those going through some form of gaslighting: Through King Ibis’ heated fever dream, we learn that we’re not alone in our experiences, and that maybe – just maybe – we can find the strength to break out of our toxic cycles and be the real positive force we need in our lives.
But for now, stream King Ibis’ “Did You Dim The Lights” exclusively on Atwood Magazine!
Kick my teeth in
Build me up to make me small
Rip me to pieces
I still love you till the day I die
Although I really know
I’m better off alone
I’m better off alone
I’ll still love you with my eyes closed
Something you do
Makes me want, to help you
Did you dim the lights though?
Something it’s true
I continue, to love you
Did you dim the lights low?
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Stream: “Did You Dim The Lights” – King Ibis
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© Robin Bottrell
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