EP Review: Dilana - Animal

At it's best, art speaks the truth in ways that we can't achieve by talking alone. Whether it's an image you can't stop seeing when you close your eyes, or a melody that means you can't get the words out of your head, art allows us to absorb a message we might not be willing to sit down and listen to otherwise. It's true that a lot of music doesn't try to say anything beyond platitudes, but we're talking about art here. Not every musician is an artist, not in the way that makes their music important, not in the way that gives their music weight. There is fluffy pop music, and there is art filled with earworms.

Dilana is an artist. When we last heard from her, on "Beautiful Monster", she was writing painfully honest songs about her life that spoke to the core of the human experience. At least for me, it was deeply important music.

With the new songs on this EP, Dilana is taking on the world. Several of these songs are issue-oriented, trying to shine a light on stories we don't necessarily want to hear, but need to. "Kids Must Play" addresses the state of the world, and the impact it is having on the next generations. They can see and feel society crumbling around them, and the fear that brings up robs them of their childhood. Mass shooting drills are more terrifying than we know, and current gun policies are doing nothing to stop the flow of violence that has numbed us to high body counts. The heavy guitar groove and the siren effects echo the adrenaline flowing as calls for help cry out the next inevitable time a shooting happens. "Who's going to save the kids?" Dilana asks repeatedly. There is no answer, but we can't find one without asking the question.

"Animal" takes on the exploitation of nature, with dramatic strings and Dilana's booming voice taking the world's leaders to task for not recognizing and protecting the beauty of our animal brethren. It is a plea to our humanity to do better, to put aside how easy cruelty can be in favor of a more compassionate reality. "Da Big Man" uses its stomping marching beat to throw us into a world of false patriotism where we listen to and accept anything that is said by the people who are supposedly on 'our side'. Loyalty has become blind, truth has become multiple choice, and power has become everything.

These songs stem from the autobiographical update that comes in the form of "Oh Jericho", a song about life, longing, and how no love can measure up to motherhood. It's that fierce love that forces Dilana to confront the world's problems, because she can't bear to leave them to fester until it's her child's responsibility to fix them. Her focus is singular, and wanting a better future includes changing her music to do what she can to make it happen. So instead of another album of bleeding her soul, we get this more eclectic collection trying to show the scars on society. That's why it makes sense for these songs to throw everything from slide guitar to world beats, from crooning vocals to rapping, into the mix. Speaking to everyone means speaking every language (metaphorically). Dilana tries to do that here, just like she did with her single "Behind Closed Doors" before, and it's nice to have a reminder that music can make a difference on more than a personal level.

And as a treat, we also get a cover of Audioslave's "Like A Stone", which can be interpreted two ways. We can take it on face value as a tribute to a great song, being sung by one of the few people with the power and tone to pull it off. It's a rousing enough success that way, but I think there's something more to it. Fitting the theme of this EP, we can also take it as a reminder that mental health struggles are real, they are severe, and far too many of us are impacted by the ripple-effects of suicide. It's a hard song to listen to, but even more beautiful, when you think about it that way. And that vocal.... dear God.

Yes, this is a very different Dilana than we might be used to, but as time has progressed, she has grown. She is now not just speaking about herself and to each one of us individually, but about everyone and to all of us. As much as sharing your soul is brave, so too is speaking up for what you believe is right.