It’s pretty rare that I make a decision about a thing and then walk it back as hard as I’m walking back this one. That it’s for something so (relatively) inconsequential is kind of funny; I prefer accountability. But maybe you can walk a thing back while still owning the mistake? Sure.

Anyway! This is how inconsequential it is: Like no doubt a lot of people who got super Dot-cited over 2016 and 17, I’ve been wondering what the heck was going on with my favorite anonymous idol singularities. They’re so quiet compared to what used to be some of the most regular (and stellar) output in the business, with some of the best and most ambitious releases you’ll ever get your hands on. So when I spied a clip of a new song, I got just as irrationally excited as I usually do*, and … well, it turned out to not only just be a thing for the Weekender, but also a reminder about another thing and hence, the first Idol in Focus. Even after I saw what I’m about to re-share, I was in such a lousy Dots-related mood that I chucked in a comment rather than think.**

What a mistake! I lamented the abandonment of Core Dots Shoegaze, one of the most delightful things that idol ever gave me, and it was right there in my face:

That’s the kind of idol rock that gets idols into progressively more interesting scenarios, man. It’s the kind of idol rock that needs to stop being called “idol” anything and should just be called “rock” in the same way that people like Io need to stop being qualified and just plain considered “metal vocalists” or whatever. The idol is just an add-on, a new spin on how the music is performed; in the case of our glorious Dots, there’s a new spin even on the new spin, resulting in something achingly beautiful.

The world needs to have its eyes opened.

*Yes, things are an absolute hoot at Maniac Mansion, why do you ask?
**One step ahead of you, peanut gallery!