Dragged Up Celebrate the Outsiders on Frenetic New Single “Rapunzel”
Glasgow outfit Dragged Up shares “Rapunzel,” the blistering A-side of a new double single backed by the brooding companion piece “Black Carbon,” available only for physical purchase. Equal parts garage-punk, art rock, and glorious racket, “Rapunzel” is a wild, driving tribute to the disaffected ‘60s teenagers who made beautiful noise in their garages, pairing primitive riffs, frenetic X-Ray Spex-inspired saxophone, and relentless momentum into one of the band’s most immediate releases to date. Together, the two tracks offer another unpredictable glimpse into the band’s forthcoming third album, Trzy.
“‘Rapunzel’ is a celebration of all the freak flag flyers of the world, outsiders, counter-culture don’t give-a-fuckers, and everyone who doesn’t fit neatly into a box,” says songwriter Simon Shaw. “It’s inspired by all ‘punk’ in the true sense of the word – the beautifully compiled Crypt Records “Back From The Grave” series, John Coltrane, Lester Bangs, James White and the Contortions, Sham 69, X-Ray Spex…”
The song’s title takes its cue from a mythical figure reimagined through Dragged Up’s own off-kilter lens. Shaw envisions Rapunzel as an unknowable, tower-dwelling creature whose only concern is blasting battered garage records into the sky while the misunderstood, the curious, and the beautifully strange gather below. “The perfect name for any long-haired, beautiful, fairytale, tower-dwelling creature,” he says.
Like the character at its centre, “Rapunzel” refuses to stay in one place. Punk riffs crash into twin guitar and saxophone solos before spiralling into a descending key-change that gives way to a Kinks-inspired breakdown, packing an astonishing amount into a tightly wound three-minute burst.
Although the song arrived almost fully formed, it continued to evolve in the studio. Eva Gnatiuk suggested replacing an upward modulation with the now-defining descent into doom, while guest vocalist Mel Whittle (Count Florida) added backing vocals and saxophonist Sofia Ween brought a thrilling final layer of chaos during a last-minute recording session.
Recorded live with engineer Tommy Duffin at Glasgow’s 16 Ohm Studio, the track captures the raw immediacy Dragged Up were chasing from the outset. Aside from vocals and saxophone overdubs, the performance unfolds live in the room, with Duffin shaping a guitar sound Shaw describes as sitting somewhere in the Mudhoney camp.
“If you’re working with the right person, all you have to worry about is getting a good take,” Shaw says.