Chicago-based collective DIAL UP premiered their debut mixtape last summer, and the project introduced listeners to the group’s potential through a mix of vintage hip-hop production and raw, ragged-edged bars delivered by a handful of voices on their extensive roster. While the multi-faceted group has remained relatively quiet on dropping new music, they’ve no doubt been busy behind the scenes and their work comes to fruition today with a new single titled “August.”
From the jump, it’s clear that “August.” marks a new chapter for DIAL UP. It’s their first song so far that fully gives the spotlight to member Bria, an artist who proved both her penchant for classic RnB vocals and cutthroat rapping on DIAL UP’s debut. On “August.”, Bria’s voice takes on an especially delicate tone as she navigates soulful vocal runs. Don’t be fooled, though—while her vocals may seem to float over the beat like a lullaby, the lyrics are actually pretty savage and make it clear that she doesn’t have time for whoever is hitting her up. Dave Prime then acts as Bria’s counterpart, contrasting her with a verse that voices the opposite side of the song’s narrative.
One of the standout characteristics of DIAL UP’s first mixtape was the quality and detail of their music videos. The trend continues with the visual accompaniment to “August.” as director Chris Cole and cinematographer Link Wolfe recreate intro sequences from classic TV shows to fit with the song on both a sonic and thematic level. See how many iconic shows you could pick out in the music video for “August.” below: