“I’m wrapped in the passion, hopelessly attaching”
Every now and then, the usually vapid and borderline toxic social media algorithms will throw up something so unlike itself. Something full of wonderful personality, of life, of individualistic nature.
The song had barely began playing, but whilst the guitarist was revving up that iconic riff from Martin Solveig’s ‘Hello’ for Triple J’s Like A Version, the first shot of the video captured Australian hyperpop upcomer Daine and one of their fellow bandmates pulling out the finger moustache. Even before hearing what ended up being a stellar cover of a beloved classic, Daine, in addition to the striking bright blonde hair and leather fur jacket, had allured me in with just one singular action. What a weird and wonderful world we live in.
But as my faltering memory happened to forget, I had already known of Daine, who spent 2020-2025 releasing one off singles and EPs, and notably appearing as a feature on fellow Aussie Ninajirachi’s song ‘It’s You’, off her debut LP “I Love My Computer” but it’s taken a while for a full-fledged project to come out. As the saying goes however, better late than never.
After a little over five months of releasing singles, Daine finally made their big album debut with “In Endless Awe & Agony”. To say I was excited, would be an understatement. And thankfully, the hype was warranted.
The first two songs on this record perfectly represent the two contrasts in sound this record presents. Opener ‘Silly Little Animal/Go!’ Is bright and playful. The opening sounds like an old video recording of a track you’d hear upon inserting a movie DVD into your grandparent’s old telly. The keys that dance over the song, and that wonderful, distorted guitar solo that leads into the last chorus, helps to soundtrack what is a very downbeat song about failure and its seeming inevitability. But immediately after you’re thrown into ‘White Collar’, which sounds a bit more despondent as Daine remarks on the primal music industry, which by the end the singer succumbs to and becomes one with the machine. The sharp riff that drops in and out guides Daine through this moody track.
Those two sides of bright upbeat instrumentals vs emo, perhaps even gothic interpretations of a style of music Daine coins as “Tweemotronica”, a mix of twee pop and indie/electronica, bounce back and forth throughout In Endless Awe, all underlined by a constant through current of ire towards the industry, and a reflection of Daine’s “Jungian Individuation Arc.”
If you read that last part and have no idea what it is, I’ll fill you in really quickly. Carl Jung was a Swiss Psychologist who studied the psyche, the conscious and unconscious. The Jungian Individuation Arc is a lifelong process, whereby the conscious and unconscious parts of our mind/psyche integrate to help us become the most complete and authentic version of ourselves.
In effect, the entirety of In Endless Awe & Agony tackles so many different facets, all linking back to Daine in connection to growth and character arc like development, fuelled by personal events such as being unexpectedly dropped by Warner Music, with Pack Records eventually picking Daine up. ‘Product Of Profit (P.O.P) initially sounds sweet with a glockenspiel playing over, but by the chorus, the song transforms into a screamo metal cut as Daine remarks on the experience of being commercialised for money and a big image but losing your sense of identity, a rejection of that Jungian arc.
Somehow, Daine manages to strike pure diamond in three consecutive songs of this jangly journey in lead single ‘PQC’, ‘I Used To Kill For It’ and ‘Love Love (Love Love)’. PQC is shrouded in mystery, both in terms of the title and the song’s meaning. But that can be forgiven when it’s already a certified modern-day classic. Daine’s vocals really explode to life here, especially on the delivery of the chorus. I’ve not stopped singing “You’re plastic, you’re tragic, overly romantic” since first listen. On I Used To Kill For It, there aren’t many better moments in music from this year than the swarm of vocals in the chorus from Daine and fellow Hyperpop artist Aldn, who’s the only guest on this LP. And Love Love is probably my favourite from a lyrical standpoint, as Daine recalls a now broken friendship with someone whom Daine still wishes all the best. It’s rare to hit lightning in a bottle once, twice is remarkable, but three times makes me wonder what kind of magic is going on in these recording sessions.
Daine’s Jungian journey wraps up with one song titled ‘Supervillain’ and one titled ‘Spider-Man.’ Fitting that an album characterised by contrasts ends in a contrast. These last two songs lean more into the indie side of their sound. The wave of ethereal vocals contrast heavily with Supervillain’s stripped back soundscape, whilst Spiderman might be the darkest song here lyrically, as Daine focuses on someone who had abused them in the past, but rather than attack them for it, looks to aim for forgiveness and see them in a better light. Maybe this is what Carl Jung was on about when it came to individuation.
There’s a reason why, after not even more than a couple of listens, this has shot up straight to the top of my 2026 rankings. In Endless Awe & Agony is a record of brilliantly crafted contrasts, as Daine continues their journey through the Jungian Individuation Arc, but the only thing that isn’t a contrast here is that from start to finish, it is a stellar effort. It isn’t plastic or tragic, but it’s a record worth being overly romantic about, and I think I’ll keep that love for it in the years to come.
Now please Daine can you please tell us what PQC stands for? Pretty please?
Daine: In Endless Awe & Agony – Released 6 November 2026 (Pack Records)
