Photo Courtesy of Shy Shape
One of the best parts about going to Rutgers is the music scene that has been cultivated here in New Brunswick. It feels like every new person I meet on campus is a musician, or involved with music in some way. Recently, I met Mike Dugan through one of my classes, and it turned out that he was the lead singer of a Rutgers affiliated band called Shy Shape. I wasn’t surprised that I had encountered yet another (talented) musician at Rutgers, but I was surprised when I finally listened to the band.
Shy Shape’s music is something pretty unique compared to the usual sounds you hear around the New Brunswick music scene. Dugan describes the band’s sound as “doo-wop influenced with surfy indie rock, where I scream a lot, and is also piano driven.” Growing up, Dugan often listened to his grandma’s jukebox, where he discovered 50s and 60s doo-wop music, and the influence is definitely audible in their recent EP, Out at Night. Dugan told me about the history of the band, which he’s been a part of since high school. Even though some members have come and gone, his unrelenting dedication to the group lies in his drive to just keep playing and creating music.
Upon first listening to Shy Shape’s EP, you feel really good because of the highly rhythmic and energetic piano and fast pace of the melody. The songs “Cinders” and “River City” are really quite catchy because of these qualities, and according to Dugan, the music is “really sad but doesn’t sound sad.” After listening to the tracks a few times, you can understand what Dugan means by this. The energetic sounds are often coupled with gloomy and dark lyrics such as “I don’t know that I could ever fall love in with you — I cut my toes off just so I could fit the other shoe.” Or, “I plucked out all my feathers to be the man you don’t want to be.” According to Dugan, who is the main songwriter for the group, the lyrics come out of times of being super overwhelmed and sluggishly sad, before being revived out of that mood with a sudden grasp of hope, all the while without losing sight of those previous feelings.
Overall, Shy Shape’s EP, Out at Night is a gem amongst the music scene here at Rutgers. If you feel like being energized while simultaneously enjoying some gloomy but well-crafted lyrics, check them out. Shy Shape is signed with Noisy Poet Records and you can find their music on Spotify, Apple, Soundcloud and iHeartRadio.