Millennial parents listen up – gone are the days of “Baby Shark”, we have Shortstraw’s own Gad de Combes making music for kids now and it’s going to lend a wholesome punch to your morning commute. Even if you’ve got no kids and want a couple of tribute tracks for your pets – Adventure Man has got you covered.
Lockdown has an interesting way of reshuffling our priorities. For Gad de Combes – a familiar face to anyone who frequented the festival scene for the last ten years – a newfound love for candy-making and children’s music emerged. Yes, he’s launched his side venture, Gaddles Candy Company, and you can even pick up a hard copy of King Dinosaur in the form of a jar of candy. Now that’s a novelty.
Penned as the musical skeleton to a kids TV show, King Dinosaur is a trip into 10-year-old Gad’s mind – and in many ways it’s his most personal release yet. Stripped and effortlessly catchy melodies make up the framework of the EP – Jacques Du Plesis on bass and Po-Chung Chen on the drums, with de Combes filling in the gaps with fresh vocalim and his characteristic keyboard.
Opener “Be Better” kicks things off as a rousing ode to doing your best. Both his own cat “Boomer” and his mother’s sausage dog “Paris” make welcome appearances – before “When Is Dinnertime?” debuts the voice of his trusty sidekick, his pug Sheniqua, courtesy of Bianca Blanc.
He’s there to comfort you after bad dreams (“How Did You Sleep”) and validate the kids who don’t fit in (“Don’t Take No For An Answer”) – and even throws a throwback-inducing Gummi Bears rendition for good measure.
