DORIO

Links:
Apple Music
Bandcamp
Earth Libraries
Instagram
Spotify
Tidal
TikTok
YouTube

Stroll into the used CD section. Rummage until a colorfully retro, quizzically familiar something
catches your eye. That’s the pop impression that multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer
Chad Doriocourt aims to strike on the latest single from his Austin-based musical project, Dorio.
“Make My World” taps indie pop, electronic, and orchestral elements for the latest expansion to
Dorio’s meticulously handmade sonic universe. The spring-loaded duet features core Dorio
collaborator and songwriter Rachel Rascoe on vocals. Akin to Stereolab’s 90s-does-60s
reinvention ethos, classic melodies meet unexpected twists. It’s a little funny, but it fits.

“We'd really been focused on listening to different forms of pop music, and wanted to reimagine
the Dorio world with those new things, especially the classical guitar,” says the artist.
“It’s like, I have this one pair of blue-and-white sneakers I buy over and over, whenever I can
find them online. I’ll wear one pair out, and then I chase that brand-new feeling, even though
they’re not really new to me, and they’re always a little different.”

Built around a cheeky classical guitar line, the song swirls in sing-songy bubblegum and
maximalist lounge sensibilities. Time-warp tape tweaks and a brisk beat set an immersive mood
for the down-the-rabbit-hole, decade-scanning track. “Make My World” was written during a
period spent ordering out-of-press CDs from the late 90s and early 2000s, especially with forms
of Italo pop, Japanese Shibuya-kei, and minimalist classical arrangements.

The couple’s duetted topline melodies move subtly among syncopated drums, an electric Pianet
suitcase keyboard, and unexpected trumpet and flute swells. Recorded in Dorio’s semi-analog
home studio, the parts cohere under the artist’s decisively contemporary perspective – always
evocative, but never out-of-date. Honed by work as a classical radio station employee, assistant
wedding DJ, and record producer of other artists’ music, Dorio’s ears delight in integrating
fragmented, seemingly faraway elements.

Especially for “Make My World,” Dorio’s global broadcast invites a roving cast of Texas-based
players. The track features CJ Eliasen on drums, David Alvarez on keys, Paulo Santos on flute,
and Kenken Gorder on trumpet, with all other instruments played by Dorio. The ear-tingling mix
plays with trademarks of Dorio’s self-produced sound: clean, upbeat, and sunshiny, with
occasional darker themes. Here, lyrics hone in on the eternal desire for small resets, whether a
haircut or alarm clock. “Wake up on a different side/ Look past the other night,” the duo sings.

Continuing work with the label Earth Libraries, “Make My World” follows Dorio’s latest double
single The Drive Collection (2024). Following a national tour in support of the album Strawberry
Dream (2023), the Dorio live band has played shows with artists including Video Age, Omni,
Peel Dream Magazine, and Katy Kirby. The song “Color Bag” has been featured on Spotify’s
Fresh Finds and Fresh Finds Indie playlists, as well as by YouTube curators David Dean
Burkhart, Nice Guys, and BIRP! Dorio recently signed with Badland Booking for upcoming tours
to support a forthcoming new album.

— Praise for Dorio —
“Psychedelic, soft-focus dance grooves abound on the new one from Austin artist Dorio, full of
limber riffs and gentle vocals.”
– Bandcamp New & Notable

“The music of Austin‘s Dorio (aka Chad Doriocourt) offers a dreamy nocturnal sound indebted to
Tokyo’s Shibuya-Kei movement.”
– Various Small Flames

“It’s like taking your favorite guitar pop band and giving them a dancefloor remix.”
– Austin Town Hall