Dande and The Lion

Sydney indie-pop four piece Dande and The Lion release their powerfully curated new track, 'Children of the Hour.' Following their previous single, 'Harder to Breathe', Dande and The Lion continue to pour their emotion into their beautiful lyrics, expressed through the powerful vocals of Natassa Zoe and Abbey Gardner.

'Children of the Hour' is a single that highlights the dynamic that Dande and The Lion have bolstered across a strong run of releases, stretching back to debut single 'Wasting Time' back in 2019. The band's musicianship manifests here; nuanced and open lyricism fusing together with bright, rich instrumentation. It's a gorgeous step forward for the band, as they anticipate a busy 2023.

The song's narrative focuses on relationships and the chemical reaction we have when meeting a person that seems to come out of nowhere and has a huge impact on your life

'Children of the Hour' was inspired by a play I read by Lilian Hellman - 'The Children's Hour' - that was later adapted into a film starring Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine. Hellman's story played a part in helping to initiate my songwriting process and I started to reflect on how this related to experiences in my own life at that time. 'Children of the Hour' centres around the push and pull within an intimate relationship; meeting someone who takes you completely off-guard and shakes up your world in a totally unexpected way. So much so, that you start creating excuses to see them, thinking about a future with them, yet despite all those feelings it never quite matches up, for whatever reason you're both just out of touch.

Natassa Zoe, DANDE AND THE LION

Collaborating with ARIA-nominated producer, Xavier Dunn (Jack River, Graace), Dande and The Lion created auditory magic in Dunn Studios, Sydney, with mixing and mastering provided by engineer, Klaus Hill (Diplo, Snakehips).

"The song itself is about being playful in the moment, following the feeling rather than over-thinking things. Yet, despite this, the 'hour' never being quite right and ultimately leading to the endless wondering of how things might have been under different circumstances, in another time."

Natassa Zoe - DANDE AND THE LION

PRAISE FOR ARTIST

"This is my fave dande and the lion track to date! it's got these beautiful, spinning melodies that have me smiling and dancing"

Triple J, Dave Ruby Howe

"it's going to be hard to breathe after this one ends in your live show because you'll have the crowd jumping around like never before."

"Dande and The Lion are a band who aren't keen on slowing down….Sydney-based indie-pop group really take it to the next level… Dande and The Lion knocked out of the park from the get-go

Pilerats

"Driven by feel-good guitar melodies and energetic percussion, the track pushes up against the bands indie-pop sonics, leaning into more dance-pop influences with production from ARIA-nominated, Xavier Dunn…Vocalist Abbey Gardner smooth and polished vocals float above, moving between mesmerising falsetto tones and belting high notes."

Milky

"Whilst taking an intelligent and measured purr throughout 'Cheap Choice', don't mistake Dande and The Lion for a small kitten - their heart and bite shows a big cat inside, just waiting to roar!"

Girl

"With touchstones found in the likes of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Middle Kids, The Preatures, Band of Skulls and Tame Impala, it's no surprise that Dande and The Lion stands as a killer combo of powerful melodies, delicate harmonies and eons of fun."

Happy Mag