Dropper - Be A Little Kinder (CD)

Be A Little Kinder draws on the feeling of hopelessness, confusion and being stuck in unhealthy thought patterns, “It's angry and frustrated, masked behind happier melodies”, says guitarist and lead vocalist Jude Savage. Across the album’s eleven tracks, Dropper showcases their ability to take pop melodies and polished songwriting and distort them to to the point of becoming agitated; the kind of songwriting reminiscent of the early 90s New Zealand alternative scene.

Dropper’s music carries both the weight of loss and the urgency of renewal. The band’s name pays homage to the Aotearoa, Wellington-based four-piece, Bleeding Star, whose album ‘Dropper’, was the third and final project guitarist Otis Hill played on before passing away due to a rare cancer in 2024 at the age of 17. For Bleeding Star members Jude Savage and Carlos Bellamy, music continues to be a very important part of their lives, so in the summer of ‘24, Savage and songwriter River Hann-Ellen (Debt Club) began working on what would become Dropper (the band). 

The project has become a vessel of resilience and an emotional outlet. Savage’s writing, taking inspiration from the likes of Bob Mould (Hüsker Dü) and Greg Dulli (Afghan Whigs), found new strength in Hann-Ellen’s intricate arrangements, merging raw and unfiltered sounds with an alty, hardcore-adjacent restlessness.

Joined by new members, Dropper has taken final form as: Savage on vocals and guitar, Bellamy (guitar), Walter Martin (drums) and Toby Gracewood-Easther (bass). ‘The music is constant, we’re all going to want to keep playing. I want to be a 70-year-old rocker’ - Jude Savage. 

Tracklist:
01. Anchor
02.Through Your Teeth
03.Pinwheel ft. Eveline Breaker
04.Is the Worrying Working?
05.You Do You
06.Whatever Works For You
07.Your Face Says it All
08. Didn't Want to Be Your Light
09. Bleed Out
10. Breathe Through the Wire
11. Be a Little Kinder