After a breakout year collaborating with musical giants like Peter Gabriel, Squid, and Saya Gray, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and now Grammy Award Winning engineer for ‘Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical’ on Peter Gabriel’s ‘i/o’ – Dom Shaw is ready to make 2025 his own with his creative project, Waterlog. Emerging from a winter of reflection on the rugged Cornish coastline, Dom has crafted a distinctive sound that fuses alternative, folk, and rock, woven together with wit, truth, and a touch of myth.
Leading the charge into the new year is brand new single ‘Touchscreen’, the title track from Waterlog’s forthcoming EP set for release on March 20, 2025. The song is a raucous indie pop-rock anthem with echoes of early 2000s nostalgia, laced with Dom’s uniquely inventive musical touch. Brimming with frenetic energy and constant twists, the track showcases Dom’s one-of-a-kind creative vision, fully realised after years of studio mastery.
‘Touchscreen’ is inspired by Dom’s moment of clarity (and comedy) as he pondered the absurdities of modern life dominated by smartphones and social media. The result? A tongue-in-cheek duet between a relentlessly optimistic smartphone and its jaded user, brimming with sharp humour and biting commentary.
“It’s a farcical middle finger to the technology that had such an irreversible effect on me growing up. Oddly enough, the song feels more relevant now than when I wrote it.”
The track began as a raw collaboration between Dom and drummer Cam, whose thrashing rhythms laid the groundwork for a gritty, gnarly bassline that brought the song’s energy to life. To play the material at live shows, Dom brought in his long term collaborators; Cam Steele (Drums), Tom Coath (Bass), Tatjana Radivoj (Guitar) and Vi Wang (Sax), who form a five piece band.
With its unabashedly British indie pop vibe, ‘Touchscreen’ is equal parts lampooning satire and cathartic release. Featuring clashing chords, sudden sonic shifts, and polished production, the track feels modern yet rooted in the DIY ethos of 2000s indie rock.
Dom’s charismatic vocals command attention, delivering every line with a blend of humour, grit, charm and even taking inspiration from The Shining’s Danny Torrance for the main hook.
Waterlog’s ability to blend genres is not just skill but sheer joy, and ‘Touchscreen’ is a testament to Dom’s genre-fluid artistry. Whether it’s the raw edge of thrashing guitars or the polished, indie-pop sheen, the track captures an artist at the peak of his creative powers – with a song that humorously yet poignantly reflects the digital age with a modern indie twist.
