The last time Red Robyn dropped new music was late last year in August, releasing two songs and grouping them as Jumper Cables. A project that she produced herself throughout. The Durban indie songbird hasn’t been short of collaborations since then, linking up with producer Joe Louis for the groovy Want You Back. But what has really been the highlight of her year last year was performing Oppi Koppi and winning Battle of The Bands to be on the Afropunk stage. She did all of this through releasing her music on Soundcloud, now for her latest single she takes a different direction, this is her first single that will be available on streaming platforms.

Dust And Iron produced by Red Robyn herself is song straight out of the indie music textbook. The sounds on her latest single remind me of British bands such as The XX and Alt-J. With her production led by her acoustic guitar. The songwriting and delivery make you feel like you’re in a bar alone romanticising the idea of a one night stand when the bartender calls in for the last round.

Forever and promises are somethings that we deeply aspire for, even though at times we know their unlikeliness, on Dust And Iron, Robyn explores the times when we choose to be oblivious to the reality and find forever in one night stands. The whole concept is flawed with it being a blatant paradox but who’s to say that the one night stand doesn’t last forever in memory. She eventually concedes that he will never be her man and it feels like a sobering moment in the song. The drunk aesthetic at that moment fades away and the promise of new promises seems like a fictional thought that can only exist within the confines of the one night stand.

Her vocals and delivery suit the mood of the song, she creates the texture of loneliness coupled with vulnerability. It’s a solid retail effort from the singer from the Southside of Durban and it will definitely resonate to the audience she’s built over the years. She’s currently working on her new extended play which will only be released in September.

Stream her new single below.