Today, producer Na’el Shehade and singer/songwriter Via Rosa, the duo known as DRAMA release their highly anticipated EP ‘Don’t Wait Up’, the pair’s newest compilation of music since their Dance Without Me album in 2020.
Brilliant masters at intertwining euphoria and melancholy, ‘Don’t Wait Up’ sees DRAMA channel the wide range of influences, that is seeing them reshape the modern love song. The EP traverses everything from Chicago house, lovesick saxophones, strutting guitars, soft piano chords, luscious soundscapes, and more. After six years working together, the duo have refined their singular style of bittersweet messages for the dance floor.
At the start of the quarantine during the intense isolation of 2020, DRAMA began working on the new EP as a point of reflection and release from loneliness. While fans are familiar with DRAMA’s broody, melancholic approach to music, the duo’s sonic exploration digs deeper and darker on ‘Don’t Wait Up’.
DRAMA’s thoughts on the EP – “A lot of what we felt during this time was challenging and the only way to make it count was to express ourselves. We wanted to create lush and heartbreak on every record, so you felt our time.
The title ‘Don’t Wait Up’ was originally inspired by a track on the EP, “Hit My Line,” and the idea of releasing toxicity both from a relationship and from within yourself. ‘Don’t Wait Up’ is vulnerable in that it speaks to the insecurity and destabilization that comes with an imbalanced relationship, but it also is positive as it points to the transformation toward self-love that can come as a result.
Lyrically, this collection of songs is very confident with a certain “put my foot down” energy. It’s about growth, taking back control, telling that someone to not wait up, to not waste their breath, and finally realizing you deserve to love and be loved.”
Don’t Wait Up EP
3AM
Dark Rain
Monte Carlo
Don’t Hold Back
Hit My Line
I Do
DRAMA opens their EP with recently released single, “3AM”, vocalist Rosa’s emotionally resonant lyrics sitting atop producer Shehade’s groove laden production.
The EP moves to ‘Dark Rain’ which channels throwback synths and lush, futuristic soundscapes while ‘Don’t Hold Back’ shows the clubbier side of the duo with a brooding, yet undeniably danceable approach. The EP rounds out with ‘Hit My Line’ that blends the sophistication of Chicago house and all-too-relatable lyrics about relational toxicity, ending the EP with their heart-stomping track, ‘I Do’.
