Up and Comers Music

The Amputation Metaphor Wrapped in Sunshine

Dymer’s single, “Prosthetic,” is beautifully deceptive. It presents a sun-drenched, catchy exterior – with bright, Vampire Weekend-esque guitar drive and lovely vocal layering – only to deliver a lyrical concept born of loss and trauma. This clash is the track’s somewhat subversive subject matter: the journey after a divorce and before a new relationship. The song has plenty of relatability, whether you’ve experienced a divorce or not. Dymer doesn’t shy away from the pain of this journey, using the metaphor of amputation to frame a relationship with a past connection.

The track is packed with unexpected little licks and sections that keep the listener along for the ride – an emotional tightrope of opening up after a relationship ends. Dymer’s recording process – quick, solitary, and based on a tune that simply “popped into my head” – lends an almost whimsical energy to the sound. But that lightness is undercut by the lyrical depth. Lines like, “A phone call broke the silence / Now I’m sleeping on your floor,” set the scene; the image of the uncomfortable phantom limb is disguised by a happy melody and instrumentation to match.

“Prosthetic” is a catchy indie-rock track, not because it smooths over the pain, but because it feels like heartbreak inside a tune you remember long after the track ends. It shows that healing doesn’t always have to sound sombre; sometimes, it sounds like a burst of sunshine after a heavy downpour.

Stream “Prosthetic” and follow Dymer on Instagram to stay up on their latest.

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–Stephen Choi for Up and Comers