The Return of Gus Dapperton

Photo by Marcus Maddox

Gus Dapperton figured out that the best way to get over writer’s block was to do something even harder than songwriting. So, he recruited some friends he’s worked with on his self-directed music videos, turned to a few investors, and traveled to Norway to make his first feature film, The Isdal Man. The movie premiered at New York’s The Downtown Festival, and served as the perfect balm for Dapperton’s songwriting struggles. Now, he’s back with “Take Me Out to the Disco,” his first new music since 2023’s Henge. It’s an ode to dancing the pain away, an invigorating amalgamation of ’80s new wave and early 2000s guitar rock.

Filmmaking, in a way, allowed him to lessen his expectations of what his art was meant to accomplish. Put another way, it allowed Gus to make art for the sake of making art, as opposed to being his livelihood. Regarding the commercial viability of The Isdal Man, he explained, “When you’re not thinking about it, that’s when the good stuff comes out. I had to do a lot of soul-searching to get back to that place. That’s what doing the film was for, because in my head I was like, ‘This is only going to lose money.’” This was almost the exact opposite approach he began taking with his music, which felt more like a job than ever before.

“For the longest time, I still felt like I was learning music and it was my passion and my hobby. When more people start getting involved and the industry starts getting involved, it’s like, this is my job now,” he says. “I live by myself. This is how I support myself. That did infiltrate some of the ways I would approach making music.”

The Isdal Man was the perfect reset, a practical application of a hobby saving the day. Now, Gus is back with one of his best songs to date, and there’s plenty more music (and music videos!) on the way. Check out the clip for “Take Me Out to the Disco” below, and beneath the paywall, enjoy our conversation on creation, Fire Island, and the books he’s been reading.