Track By Track: DRAM – ‘That’s A Girl’s Name’

Virginia's friendliest musician walks Clash through his new EP...

While we patiently await the follow up to his 2016 debut album ‘BIG BABY DRAM’, Virginia’s friendliest musician DRAM made his return this week with ‘That’s A Girl’s Name’, a surprise EP of irresistible Summer funk.

Having already showcased his versatility as a vocalist, as well as his eclectic musical tastes, DRAM has kept himself busy over the past couple of years with a Christmas EP, live shows all over the globe and collaborations with Gorillaz, Playboi Carti, Juicy J, Neil Young, Diplo, Chromeo, Calvin Harris and Cardi B.

Inspired by hugs, carwashes, construction workers and Twitter, DRAM’s new three track solo makes you want to put on your best sunglasses, roll down the windows, turn the volume up and drive slow.

To celebrate the release we asked DRAM to share the stories behind the tracks that make up ‘That’s A Girl’s Name’…

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Best Hugs
This track is actually something that was played to me by my producers, Josh and Oligee, who I have done all of my records with. As soon as I heard the beat I had the same feeling [that I’d had] the first time that I heard the beats for ‘Cha Cha’ and for ‘Broccoli’, it just instantly came to me.

As soon as I heard those first few notes of the track, I just instinctively sang, “Your girl gives the best hugs,” and everyone in the studio started laughing. I was like, shit, there you go. Once I had that line the rest is history.

WWYD?
This track all stems from something I tweeted a couple of months back. I was like, “If you got a cheque in your name for $100,000, what would you do?” So many people were giving me these bull-shit ass, Miss America-esque ass answers and I was like what a load of bollocks from all of you!

So this track is like an analysis on that, going in on that topic. The beat itself reminded me so much of Camp Lo’s ‘Luchini’, anyone who’s a real hip-hop fan will pick up on that. So then I was thinking about that and then it was like wham-bam-bam-whoop- dop-daloop… that was me trying to do the Little Richard thing by the way!

Sundress
This track gives you that badass, fucking, bright day at a star studded hot-rinse car wash, American muscle, soap suds, fucking tan-lines, kaleidoscopes and sparkly dreads kinda feeling. It’s very Rick James, Funkadelic, The Mothership you know what I’m saying. It’s BAD FUCKING ASS… bad ass.

It’s like, “Look at that girl in the sun dress”, and I’m thinking like construction workers in the city on a fucking hot day and they about to get off in 40 minutes.

And they’re working in Chelsea – you know all the fine ass girls be in Chelsea – but still being a spectator, like at that carwash. You see it all going down, sexy as hell, but you better not touch. You see it on the street, you’re working on a jack hammer, you better not jack her with your hammer! It’s still very much from a by-standers perspective.

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'That's A Girls Name' EP is out now.

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