Auckland-based duo Dual is made up of lead vocalist Maurice Miller and guitarist Jamie Pyne. After years of honing their euphoric indie-electronic sound, they recently signed to Warner Music New Zealand. High time the rest of the world got to know this two-man band.

Talking about the way he writes, Miller says: “I often find that my subconscious articulates things through my song-writing. Things that I haven’t readily admitted to myself yet, which makes things kind of scary cos you don’t realise until after. This song is a true testament to that.”

The subconscious element he speaks about, may very well be the inclusion of a U2 lyric and melody in their new single. The phrase ‘Wipe your tears away’ is borrowed from the Irish mega act’s Sunday Bloody Sunday. Anyway, they discovered the similarity well ahead of their tune’s release. Not too hopeful, they asked U2 for permission to use the fragment. And then, the waiting begun. A few months later, to their surprise, Dual received an email signed by all U2 members. The clearance was in! Musically, Stardust’s Music Sounds Better With You shines through as well, but that reference is more subtle.

Miller goes on explaining Wipe Your Tears Away is about ‘a personal moment in my life, a stage where I was at a real crossroads’. “My parents had broken up and I wasn’t sure if I could/should quit my job and decide to really give this music thing a crack. I knew I had to break free though. The whole message of the track is ‘do what I want when I like – this is my new life right now’. It’s about breaking free, it’s about us being vulnerable and being okay with that. We hope that people can connect to this message.”

Wipe Your Tears Away could sound great on radio stations, if only music directors were prepared to take the bananas out of their ears. Elsewhere, this song is sure to start parties on dancefloors and festivals alike.

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Werner Schlosser

I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.