It's been the better part of a year since we've heard any update on what Massachusetts power-pop rascals Dom have been up to. Back in February, Dom dropped a brand new track called "H o t . l i m i t," which signalled a possible left turn for the band. The track was said to be from a forthcoming album titled, HYPERFANTASY XL LP.
In an exclusive interview with Exclaim!, Dom now explains that he is no longer operating under his own name, but the curious moniker of Kiss 1O8. For now, Dom the band is currently on ice.
"[I'm] takin' a break from Dom for now," he says. "Dom was a lot of fun for a while. [It] was my first 'band,' and it took me all over the world on a wild adventure. Unfortunately, music labels and industry people really fucked up my good time. Once it stopped being fun, I decided it would be unfair to me and the people who enjoy my music to try to force something that I wasn't feeling. So I banked all the Dom tracks and started making electronic music again."
Though HYPERFANTASY XL LP was originally reported as a Dom album, he says it will be released under the name Kiss 1O8. In fact, a listening party for the new album is happening at Le Poisson Rouge in New York on October 29.
"I chose the name Kiss 1O8 after Kiss 108 FM, a pop radio station I used to listen to as a kid. That and 108 is a sacred number in some cultures, as it represents one, nothing and everything. When I hear 'Stargate,' I don't immediately think of the '90s sci-fi soap, I think of two bald men from Norway. To be honest, I don't really care what Ryan Seacrest or anybody else thinks about it."
Dom admits that HYPERFANTASY XL LP is "a total departure" from his previous band's material.
"My first two EPs — 2010's Sun Bronzed Greek Gods and 2011's Family of Love — I wrote for a band dynamic. HFXL is more like Streets of Rage versus S Club 7, on some maximalist level. Plugging this into that, sampling everything from WorldStarHipHop to my friends' kids to JoJo, who was nice enough to have her producer send me some exclusive stems after hearing "H o t . l i m i t."
As for why it's taken him so long, when a debut album was originally expected in 2011, Dom says it was the usual interruptions that come from signing to a major label and struggling to find the right management. He currently isn't sure if he's signed to a label or not.
"I wrote a Dom album and my management wanted me to write a Kid Rock album. Then I spent all my money. So now I'm probably ready to put something out. I signed with Astralwerks EMI for five songs and that was hell. I signed with Modular exclusively in Australia, but it's hard to make long-distance relationships work. I may still be on Parlophone, not really sure. I'm bound to find out once people start demanding money from me again."
In an exclusive interview with Exclaim!, Dom now explains that he is no longer operating under his own name, but the curious moniker of Kiss 1O8. For now, Dom the band is currently on ice.
"[I'm] takin' a break from Dom for now," he says. "Dom was a lot of fun for a while. [It] was my first 'band,' and it took me all over the world on a wild adventure. Unfortunately, music labels and industry people really fucked up my good time. Once it stopped being fun, I decided it would be unfair to me and the people who enjoy my music to try to force something that I wasn't feeling. So I banked all the Dom tracks and started making electronic music again."
Though HYPERFANTASY XL LP was originally reported as a Dom album, he says it will be released under the name Kiss 1O8. In fact, a listening party for the new album is happening at Le Poisson Rouge in New York on October 29.
"I chose the name Kiss 1O8 after Kiss 108 FM, a pop radio station I used to listen to as a kid. That and 108 is a sacred number in some cultures, as it represents one, nothing and everything. When I hear 'Stargate,' I don't immediately think of the '90s sci-fi soap, I think of two bald men from Norway. To be honest, I don't really care what Ryan Seacrest or anybody else thinks about it."
Dom admits that HYPERFANTASY XL LP is "a total departure" from his previous band's material.
"My first two EPs — 2010's Sun Bronzed Greek Gods and 2011's Family of Love — I wrote for a band dynamic. HFXL is more like Streets of Rage versus S Club 7, on some maximalist level. Plugging this into that, sampling everything from WorldStarHipHop to my friends' kids to JoJo, who was nice enough to have her producer send me some exclusive stems after hearing "H o t . l i m i t."
As for why it's taken him so long, when a debut album was originally expected in 2011, Dom says it was the usual interruptions that come from signing to a major label and struggling to find the right management. He currently isn't sure if he's signed to a label or not.
"I wrote a Dom album and my management wanted me to write a Kid Rock album. Then I spent all my money. So now I'm probably ready to put something out. I signed with Astralwerks EMI for five songs and that was hell. I signed with Modular exclusively in Australia, but it's hard to make long-distance relationships work. I may still be on Parlophone, not really sure. I'm bound to find out once people start demanding money from me again."