DAAY's "Guru Deva" is a hypnotic funk dream from another dimension

London genre-shifters DAAY are back with a video for "Guru Deva," a brilliant and surreal taste of alt funk, confirming them to be one of the UK's most interesting underground acts. Led by the enigmatic songwriter Alex Barty-King, DAAY have been a permanent feature on our radar since 2021, and an opening track like this serves as a timely reminder of exactly why we keep returning to them.

"Guru Deva" is quick to pull you into its whooshing whirlpool. Jagged textures and off-kilter rhythms start things off, establishing a groove that's as much for your head as your feet. Just when you think you've gotten your footing, sharp splashes of brass slam across the mix with feral, metallic bite, but chaotic, but never messy, more of a psychedelic jam with surgical precision.

Then come the vocals, both evocative and mysterious, which help glide the track along with an unfussy grooviness that lends a satisfying heft to the song's surreal dreaminess. The lyrics are about dark, tumultuous turmoil, an existentialist's plight, but there's a poetic flair to the delivery. And the chorus? Soft harmonies dissolve into the background like honey in hot tea, comforting and charming, and a little weird in the best way.

"Guru Deva" is the first taste of DAAY's forthcoming EP, 'Memories Of The Future,' due on their label Yada Recordings. If this single is anything to go by, the latter, at the very least, is going to be a kaleidoscopic trip through the deliciously weird mind of Alex Barty-King and his crew. In this ocean of throwaway uniformity, DAAY still swim against the tide and be fearless / be funky / be original. "Guru Deva" is an invitation to feel something different.