‘coogie’ – The perfection of gutteral expressionism

Cover art for coogie

Dijon, a titular figure in expressionist lyricism and vocal performance, pushes the boundaries of his strained voice and his sweeping production on his single “coogie.”

Currently his only official release following his 2021 album “Absolutely,” Dijon’s 2023 single “coogie” dials the guttural expressionism shown on his songs like “Rodeo Clown” to 11and shoves the boundaries of his vocal performance to the other end of the room.

In this song, Dijon finds himself in a codependent relationship with someone, distinctly aware of his own lack of well-being but physically unable to leave.

It’s hard to not imagine Dijon on his knees as he sings his acutely distressing melodies, seemingly through tears. His voice – strained, cracking, dissonant and harrowing – cries feelings of self-concern and lonely sorrow only for him to overshadow himself through his own altruistic begging and pleading.

Nearing the emotional height of the song, Dijon confesses through his utterly exhausted voice, “When it’s bad I just push it inside / Is it bad that I just put it inside,” only to immediately disregard himself, singing, “But if it pleases you, honey / If it pleases / Well, I’ll do my best to bear it.”

We see this pattern of self-disregard for someone else repeated throughout the entire song, with Dijon earlier singing, “I’m convinced that there’s a magnet inside / Pushing good, pulling bad things in,” only to repeat the message, “But if it pleases you, honey / If it pleases / Well, I’ll do my best to bear it.”

The instruments on “coogie” serve to both support and give space to Dijon and his performance. The high, plucking guitar, the meaty, gritty low strings, the simplistic drums, the mysterious cooing of the simple sung counter melody and the low rising bass and synths all serve to elevate his stressed voice by building and subsiding alongside his emotion.

Dijon’s notes of self-sacrifice build to a crescendo near the end of the second third of the song in tandem with the production. Afterward, Dijon is entirely absent from the recording, allowing the emotion to slowly subside as the strings relax and the bass and synths adopt a more curious and less violent sound.

“coogie” serves as a vignette of a moment in a continuous toxic relationship and how it has twisted Dijon’s view of his own self-respect. The song begs the question, much like how Dijon begs his lover, how far will we go for love and for how long can we abandon ourselves for it?