Dilly Dally – “Sober Motel”

Dilly Dally – “Sober Motel”

Back in June, Dilly Dally announced their forthcoming sophomore album Heaven with its slow-burning lead single “I Feel Free.” The Toronto-based quartet follow up today with a murky ode to sobriety called “Sober Motel.”

Katie Monks thunders and crackles, her signature wicked howl on full display: “When I’m sober my soul comes screeching.” It sounds exhilarating and excruciating — the idea of a shrieking soul and the grainy cry that summons it. Monks expands on the song in a statement:

“Sober Motel” is a celebration of sobriety, in the midst of an industry that is anything but. I wrote it in a motel bathroom after taking a mystical shower alone. There was something really pure about it all.

The song spawned from a sadness I had for my friend Tony (Dilly’s bass player) who was struggling with addiction. We all were realizing that being on the road had turned into volatile place for some of us, and it was heartbreaking.

In a larger sense, alcohol is so romanticized within our culture. Knowing that it can send so many people into a downward spiral, I wanted to step forward and do the opposite of that, and present people with a different image. All of this in the hopes that it would create a sort of protective layer around the band each night on stage (and anyone else who feels the same).

Listen to “Sober Motel” below.

Heaven is out out 9/14. Pre-order it here.

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