Premiere: Dawn Diver Shares Debut Single 'Warming To You'

Following last year's sterling Demos EP and a handful of standout live appearances, Pōneke multi-instrumentalist Ben Lemi (Trinity Roots, Congress Of Animals) has at last unveiled the official debut single from his solo recording project Dawn Diver – the gorgeously evocative 'Warming To You' which we're thrilled to premiere here. Lemi opened up to Chris Cudby via the web about the ideas explored in his shimmering new tune, launched perfectly in synch with the changing of the seasons. Read their conversation below and catch the artist with his top notch live band featuring Deanne Krieg, Rose Blake, Will Sklenars and Hikurangi Schaverien-Kaa, celebrating the release of 'Warming To You' in their hometown and Tāmaki Makaurau this month...

Dawn Diver

Thursday 21st November - Meow, Wellington w/ Motte 
Thursday 28th November - Whammy Bar, Auckland w/ SKILAA*

Tickets available HERE via UTR

Chris Cudby: 'Warming To You' sounds gorgeous - is it Dawn Diver's first official release? Who's on the recordings?

Ben Lemi: Yes, apart from a few demos that I chucked up on Bandcamp a while back this is DD’s first official release. The band as a whole does feature on one song for the upcoming album, and De and Holly did a bunch of backing vocals for a few of the tunes, but this first release is just me running back and forth between the control room and the recording room on my lonesome. It’s worth mentioning that my good mate Holly Beals was only 2 weeks away from having her first baby when I forced her in to doing BV’s for some of the tunes. I do recall feeling slightly concerned about the idea of a studio birth!

To my ears 'Warming To You' articulates a kind of relationship navigation - what ideas are you exploring with the song?

I’ve been having conversations with my partner lately about how we see people on social networks making virtual enemies from behind their keyboards. Sometimes the internet can be a treacherous place to try and accurately convey nuanced feelings about delicate topics. Regardless of how informed or compassionate you might be, it’s surprising how often online debates seem to ferment to the detriment of understanding or empathy. I guess I still believe that you don’t really get a true idea of someone until you meet them in person, hear the tone in their voice, and look them in the eyes. Also ‘Warming to You’ is just me having anthropomorphized my two cats. They’ve been really close mates as kittens and so it’s really fascinating to observe the changes in their behaviour towards each other as they grow in to cats, and then imagining how humans might behave in similar circumstances.

I have a lot of trouble with Auckland's endless grey winter and am really stoked we're finally getting some sun and there's a feeling of excitement in the air again. Do the seasons impact your "creative life" in any tangible way?

In a nutshell winter is me staring at screens editing audio, and trying decide on how many layers to wear before heading out to the gig. Playing my first outdoor winter show in Queenstown this year I found myself on stage wearing 3 thermals, a thick woolly jersey, and a jacket just to keep circulation throughout the set. I think I prefer the summer where it’s more about accepting the heat and just trying to keep ahold of the drum sticks through the sweat! As Wellingtonians we’re subject to our own kind of grey winter, and a lot of artists I know have this love / hate thing with it because if the insulation in your household is bad, then working away in a damp room can be quite an ordeal. Such a scenario can elicit a certain type of productivity though, and has undoubtedly shaped the sound of a lot of music.

What's happening in the near future with Dawn Diver - you have some headline shows coming up?

To support the release of the new single we’re playing in Wellington at Meow on the 21st of November with Motte opening the show, and in Auckland at Whammy Bar on the 28th. The Whammy show will be DD’s first trip as a band to Auckland and we’re super lucky to have vocal genius Chelsea Prastiti’s band Skilaa opening for us. We’re very excited about all of that.

'Warming To You' is streamable now via Spotify.