Always one to expand his artistic horizons, Korean Australian artist DPR IAN is back with his latest single, “Peanut Butter & Tears.” The song tells the story of DPR IAN being the “lost lover” of the listener who’s attempting to console the listener’s tears while battling his own battles. It also hints at the singer getting nostalgic and the struggles of growing up as he starts the song with how his “tooth’s been wigglin’ for years.” The indie-pop earworm consists of a catchy drum loop, the singer’s signature sultry guitar riffs, and synths and keys in the choruses.

Entering a New Era

This marks the beginning of a new era as the artist wraps up a global tour with his fellow DPR collective members. During the tour, the star performed hits from his previous albums Moodswings In To Order and Moodswings in This Order that both talk about the fears and worries he battles and his reality of living with bipolar disorder. This era also marked the beginning of MITO, the singer’s alter ego, that’s meant to be a personification of his dark side that he tries to contain but still eventually takes over now and then. 

Now that fans of the artist are familiar with who MITO is, this era will tell the story of how MITO came to be. “‘Peanut Butter & Tears’ portrays the fading playfulness of our youth, as we embark on a bittersweet journey into adulthood,” the singer explains in a press statement. “But before MITO, there was Insanity. The ‘Dear Insanity…’ EP is the prequel story to MITO’s creator, ‘Mr. Insanity.’ This EP follows MITO on his journey to and throughout the dreamlike realm known as ‘The Other Side.’ As he traverses through The Other Side, IAN slowly begins to lose his sanity bit by bit, thus fully turning into a new alter ego ‘Mr. Insanity’ at the story’s climax.”

A Music Video to Remember

Not only did DPR IAN take part in writing the new single, but he also directed and edited the music video himself! The video starts off with a back-and-forth flash between the musician and a younger version of himself entering a looming medical room. As he sits down on the chair, he fights against the restraints. The viewers are transported into a dark dystopian reality where everything seems to be crumbling down. After a few seconds of welcoming audiences to this dark messy world, the video switches to a more bright and cheerful setting with IAN sitting on a field of saturated flowers singing the verse. This back-and-forth tug-of-war between gloomy mayhem and cheery lightheartedness continues throughout the video, giving hints of how the DPR IAN universe was before and after MITO.

What’s Next for DPR IAN

This new single marks the beginning of the unfolding of his upcoming EP Dear Insanity…  that’s set to be out this October. In this album, fans can look forward to an expansion of the DPR IAN lore that he’s embarked on in previous albums while also seeing a new side of the artist. Besides the upcoming music, the musician is set to perform at Head in the Clouds Festival in Los Angeles, Lollapalooza in Chicago, and various music festivals across the globe.

For more DPR IAN lore, check out our article breaking down his 2021 album here!

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