Dummie, famously known as Dumbfoundead, released his latest EP and 10th solo project, “Cafe Bleu” Friday.
In his interview with Complex, Dummie said “Café Bleu” is an imaginary neighborhood spot where everyone is free to come hang out. Nobody needs to know your name or your history and you can figure out your next moves in life without judgment,” Dummie said.
The first song on the album, “Cafe Bleu Theme” set the tone for his new sound. Dummie changed his style and experimented with a new concept — a chill coffee house vibe — while still sticking to a 90’s hip-hop feel. The album and song title are ironic because Cafe Bleu is a real bar in Koreatown, Los Angeles, but in the song, Cafe Bleu is coined as an imaginary place.
At first, I didn’t think the new sound fit him at all. I only continued listening to it to absorb the song and to understand what the rest of the album would sound like, but after listening to it a couple more times, I came to appreciate the song and his new sound due to how well the song set up the rest of the album.
His title track, “Weird” was more on the hip-hop side and felt more like classic Dummie, using fun instrumentals and lyrics such as, “Let’s go out, let’s do something/Let’s get high, go in public/ Go get lost in the moment/ If you trust you me, you’ll love it/ Yeah, let’s get weird”
“Weird” is about living life with no plans and no thoughts and instead just getting a little weird.
Dummie said in the Complex interview, “This is an anthem for those nights you stepped into the unknown and out of your comfort zone, the best times come from the unplanned, let’s get weird.”
“Chill Foo” is a fun song that’ll take you back to the 90’s as the beat in the chorus sounds reminiscent of a 90’s alternative band. It is definitely one of my favorite songs on the album because it almost sounds like a song that would featured in a sitcom. Yet, the lyrics aren’t as PG as most sitcoms would like since it is an explicit song and it touches on drinking too much, getting out of control and making bad choices to the point where your friends need to ask you to “chill foo chill.”
“Pink Bleu Dawn” features more vocals than the rest of the album and is the perfect ending to the new album.
“Think it’s time that I head home/ Take the keys to my car/ Think it’s time that I head home/ Into the pink bleu dawn/ Think it’s time that I head home/ Sleepwalk through the smog/ Think it’s time that I head home/ Into the pink bleu dawn.”
In the first song, listeners are introduced to Cafe Bleu where they’re welcomed with no judgment while in the final song, “Pink Bleu Dawn,” they leave and go home to their mundane lives and start their day again.
Compared to his last album “Rocketman,” which was more politically inspired, aggressive and in your face, “Cafe Bleu” is mellow and presents a sound that is easy on the ears.
All in all, the album is fun, enjoyable and darkly poetic and I’d recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a new artist to jam out to or just need a couple new songs to add to their nighttime playlist. I’ve found myself listening to this album every day on repeat, on the bus, in car rides, studying — you name it. It’s a wonderful album to just melt into.