Dbldbl plays alongside Le1f and Meer tonight at Galatos in Auckland for Red Bull Sound Select. RSVP here.It's a simple fact that there are a lot of 'nice guys' out in the world who aren't particularly nice at all. I know it and you know it, but it can be taxing enough just to think about, let alone having to call them out and try to find a way to deal with it.Liam Dargaville—the Auckland-based rap artist who goes by the name Dbldbl—knows this too. People often don't want to talk about it because they don't want to stir the pot, he says. So instead, he did what came naturally: he went and wrote a song about it.It's called 'Mr. Nice' and it's lifted from his new mini EP Everybody Hates You, a project which Dargaville points out was driven by exhaustion, anger, and frustration."'Mr. Nice' isn't about just one person," he says. "It's about an entire group of mislabelled 'nice guys'. The closet racists, the emotionally manipulative, the saviours, the mansplainers, the faux allies, and the abusers. The people right beneath our noses. The people protected by social circles. The people who are constantly defended with the excruciating phrase 'he's actually a really nice guy', 'I've known him a long time, he would never do/say that' or 'that doesn't sound like him'. I realise that this behaviour isn't restricted to male-identifying people, but in my own personal experiences they're the most common offenders."The track is one of two new songs on the record from Dbldbl, with one more coming courtesy of collaborator and pal Trapjaw Kelpie—another emerging New Zealand musician who'll be taking on DJ duties for Dargaville when he takes the stage tonight at Red Bull Sound Select with Le1f (something you might want to RSVP to right now). But it's not the only thing on his mind at the moment. 'Death By Exposure' tackles what Dargaville refers to as the outrageous conditions facilitated by people in power in art spaces and the reluctant acceptance it is greeted with by artists."Quite often, at least in my community, that 'exposure' is expected to be payment enough for the love they pour into their craft," he says. "Primarily this song is about my experience dealing with promoters, international shows, and constantly working for free. Our work is trivialised by the way we're treated by promoters. A few drink tickets and door spots are not a fee. Not having access to a safe and quiet space before and after you perform—an incredibly anxiety provoking experience—does not make you think you should even be there or that you are even wanted."I've obviously had good experiences with some amazing promoters. But this song isn't about that. This song is basically about getting fucked and thinking that's the norm through repetitive mistreatment."Both 'Mr. Nice' and 'Death By Exposure' are a product of near defeat, Dargaville says. A combination of mental health concerns and a physical injury acting in cahoots has him staying home a lot these days, but the constant state of pain he's stuck with means he's less willing to hold his tongue. "The more irritable I become, the more I wanna scream at people," he adds. "So I might as well scream at those who deserve it."We've got no doubt that some of the same intensity will translate on stage when he performs tonight at Galatos. When asked if he's excited, he's only got two words: "Fuck. Yes."Dbldbl plays alongside Le1f and Meer tonight at Galatos in Auckland for Red Bull Sound Select. RSVP here.
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