Dorio – Color Bag (November 2023)

In the streetlight-streaked hours beyond midnight, lost in a dream. The newest record from Dorio, Strawberry Dream, hangs in the liminal space between upbeat orchestral pop and anonymous late-night lounge. Dorio is the retro-futurist songwriting project of Austin, Texas musician Chad Doriocourt, who produced and played most of the instruments on his second LP.

Strawberry Dream marks Dorio’s debut with Earth Libraries, co-released with NYC-based Citrus City Records. All beginning on an 8-track tape machine, the escapist soundscape came together with lyric and vocal contributions from collaborator Rachel Rascoe.

During completion of the ten-song album, Dorio spent daylight hours working in the library of the local classical radio station. By night, live DJs’ dance beats worked their way into the musician’s subconscious while working at an Austin nightclub. The integration can be heard in prominent string and flute arrangements, alongside house-influenced drum beats and melodic basslines, throughout the record.

Art by James Madison Mitchell
Photo by Katherine Squier