Isaac Dunbar channels New York City’s raw, relentless (and irresistible) energy into ‘Beep Beep Repeat,’ a bold, in-your-face, and utterly intoxicating record of letting loose, dancing all night, dreaming big dreams, and finding your place in the concrete jungle.
Stream: ‘Beep Beep Repeat’ – Isaac Dunbar
On one hand, I’m just a freshly 21-year-old who’s ready to go to bars without using a fake ID. On the other, I’m a fearless freak who commands people to dance.
To his credit, Isaac Dunbar has always been a “fearless freak” –
– a singular voice beating to the tune of his own drum, following his heart, trusting his gut, singing loud, proud, and unapologetically – yet on his new EP, the singer/songwriter sounds especially free. It’s as if something clicked within as he entered his twenties, and his world went from reds, greens, and blues, to total technicolor.
Such is the dynamic shift that occurs when one moves to the Big Apple, the city that never sleeps. Dunbar channels New York City’s raw, relentless (and irresistible) energy into Beep Beep Repeat, a bold, in-your-face, and utterly intoxicating record of letting loose, dancing all night, dreaming big dreams, and finding your place in the concrete jungle.
If he can make it here, he can make it anywhere – and if these six songs are any indication, then there truly is no limit to what Isaac Dunbar can do or where he can go.
Here we are again
A whole lot of glitter to shake off
A mornin’ to wake up
A stranger to kick out of my bed
Here we are again
His voice drownin’ in at the subway
A new face, I hope he calls my name
Kinda hard to find it
If you ever find it, I bet you won’t
As long as you aren’t your parents, baby
Man enough, lettin’ go
I’m man enough to lose control
And dance all night, dance all night
Far past the earth, have you heard?
I’m man enough to be a party girl
And dance all night, the American high
– “American High,” Isaac Dunbar
Released April 26 via RCA Records, Beep Beep Repeat is exhilarating, intense, and – like city that inspired it – absolutely all-consuming. Isaac Dunbar’s first release since 2022’s eight-track Banish the Banshee EP sees the alt-pop artist from Massachusetts truly coming into his own while channeling the spirits of pop trailblazers before him: Bits of Bowie, Mercury, Gaga, and Jagger shine through breathtaking, soul-stirring, and head-turning vocal performances full of glitz, glam, and unfiltered, uncompromising passion.
From the fiery beats and party atmosphere of “Apartment A” to the intense, immediate, and emotionally charged power-balladry of “American High,” the cathartic, intimate upheaval of “Backseat Girl” and beyond, Beep Beep Repeat is the product of a soul unleashed.
And Isaac Dunbar is most certainly unleashed.
In Apartment A
We found our fame
Takin’ polaroid pictures
Everybody in frame
Now it’s way too packed
On the fire escape
Let’s go, go out and leave
the discotheque in flames
I wanna go to Paris,
I wanna go to Spain
I wanna lose my wallet
Then kiss whoever stole it
Apartment A, I want love, no ricochet
Outside my door, yeah, Apartment A
– “Apartment A,” Isaac Dunbar
This era, I want you to feel like an ’80s sad and depressed duchess.
“The bluntness of New York directly translated to my lyricism,” the singer/songwriter tells Atwood Magazine.
“I’m not cloaking my emotions in metaphors. The whole project is influenced by how metropolitan life changed my perspective and unlocked my playful side. When you look out the window and see people laughing, you realize life keeps moving. So, I made a little mantra for this project, ‘Life goes on, so let’s dance. Beep Beep Repeat.’”
He continues, “I tried to bring back something you can shake your ass to. When you listen to the album, I hope you dance, have fun, and bask in who you are. On one hand, I’m just a freshly 21-year-old who’s ready to go to bars without using a fake ID. On the other, I’m a fearless freak who commands people to dance.”
We’ll be singing and dancing along to this fearless freak for as long as the night allows.
When the music’s this good, you can’t help but keep it on repeat: Beep Beep Repeat is an endless (American) high, and one we’ll be basking in all spring and summer long.
I’m just your backseat girl
If only I could rule your world
Every kiss, every ride, why do I even try?
You say, “You can’t be right all the time
Out with the old, in with the new”
Lately, I wonder why I go back to you
You say, “You can’t be right all the time
It’s not up to you, it’s not up to you
Blame God, or blame Mom, but blame you”
– “Backseat Girl,” Isaac Dunbar
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:: stream/purchase Beep Beep Repeat here ::
:: connect with Isaac Dunbar here ::
Stream: “Backseat Girl” – Isaac Dunbar
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© Thom Kerr
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