First Play Friday // ‘I Did It To Myself’ – Dakota Jones

If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’ll know – amongst other things – I love music. I post a Music Mondays post most Mondays when I remember and have posted various album, single and EP reviews elsewhere but I thought – just to add more of what I love to the blog, I’d start a NEW series of posts “First Play Friday” – a series where, every Friday, I spotlight a track I’ve been listening to.

For my first post, I’m spotlighting ‘I Did It To Myself’ by Dakota Jones. The New York City based four piece show off their funk, soul and blues style with this track – the first single from their upcoming album, Black Light.

From the opening line, ‘Stretch marks from growing pains’, lead singer Tristan Carter-Jones’ soulful drawl takes the listener through the highs and lows of navigating adulthood.

Regarding the single, Carter-Jones says, “(it) is about the ups and downs of learning and growing up, and the mess that can ensue,”

“Maybe I’m going too fast and too hard, maybe I need to slow down. But if things get messed up at least, this time, I have no one else to blame. I did it to myself.”

The track combines an irresistible hook and catchy drums with enticing and soulful melodies.

‘I Did It To Myself’ is the beginning of an album which promises to be a deep dive into femininity and adulthood and, whilst Carter-Jones’s smooth vocals is what makes this track stand out, the way that the music and lyrics fit together proves that this is a group of people who are united in providing music that not only packs a punch musically but also delivers a message that we may all relate to, on some level or another.