For the last seven years, Dopapod has fostered growth at exponential rates. Putting forth multiple studio and live albums, headlining festival bills, undergoing lineup changes and constantly roping new fans in by the dozens. The quartet decided to butter us up with inside details on their fifth effort, MEGAGEM, before announcing extremely bleak news that they’re taking an entire year off from turning knobs and live jamming come 2018.
With a heavy fall tour looming, a Halloween gig at Putnam Den and a pro-shot video released for “Please Haalp,” the two New Year’s Eve shows in Rhode Island and Boston will close out 2017 and seemingly, 2018 as well. It’s only appropriate that Boston will house their final gig, the same location where the band was born. It’s uncertain if the four will take on festival slots come summertime, only to leave recording and touring off the map for next year, or if all things Dopapod are halted. Fans are used to being spoiled with relentless touring over the last seven years, averaging 150 shows per year– now the boys are taking the next one for themselves, inspired by TED Talk, ‘The Power of Time Off’.” 
“Every seven years this guy closes his design firm and everyone who works for the company works on their own projects for the year,” says keyboardist and singer/songwriter Eli Winderman in a press release. “When they come back, everyone is inspired and working with a newfound sense of excitement.”
Although Winderman, Rob Compa, Chuck Jones and Neal Evans collectively decided on a year of focusing on other areas of fulfillment, garnering fresh ideas and undergoing personal awakenings, the band has otherwise been riding their freight train to success. MEGAGEM will release on Oct. 27, giving the world a little over a full year to let the album marinate– to truly understand its thematics and ever-growing sound. Adding to the bittersweet symphony that is a Dopapod album drop and immediate hiatus, the guys offered up the album’s single, “Please Haalp,” ready for download via Bandcamp with a “name your own price” download.MEGAGEM is available for pre-order on iTunesand you can check out the video for “Plaese Haalp” below.
“A lot of these songs are also reactions to how the world is changing, about living your life in the present moment and the inner dialogues of the mind,” says Winderman. “MEGAGEM could be the brain, or it could also be a cell phone, controlling your subconscious thoughts and, thus, changing your habits.. I think a lot of people are feeling this way because of the boost in technology, with everybody addicted and attached to their phones.”
Witnessing live versions of MEGAGEM tunes during Fall Tour 2017 is not to be taken lightly. This is the build up before the break down, folks. It may very well be the only time these songs are performed until 2019.
Read a full statement from the band below:
https://www.facebook.com/dopapod/posts/10155256719364221
MEGAGEMtrack list:
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- Plaese Haalp
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- Piazole
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- Zonk
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- Mucho
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- Confabuation
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- Turn By Turn
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- Buster Brown
- Starfish
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