Clocking in 1,069,573 monthly listeners on Spotify, Whatever, Dad makes lo-fi music reminiscent of a feeling of nostalgia. They have released five albums and two EPs, between the years 2013 and 2017. However, not much is known about the creation of this project. Z Santos, a non-binary songwriter from the band Crying, simply released Whatever, Dad, as their solo project. Their most popular album is titled “Grade Pending” and was released back in 2015. It consists of seven songs. My personal favorites are: “O.K.,” “Waffles,” and “Warsh_Tippy and Zelda.”
“Warsh_Tippy and Zelda” has one of my favorite lyrics: “Last night I dreamt we did our laundry together.” This can sound very odd but it pushes a really cute idea that someone can bring you such an immeasurable amount of joy that even doing very mundane tasks with them can turn into an enjoyable time. It feels very comforting to know that love is real.
Something consistent throughout their albums is the similarities of their album covers, all parts of images on top of a green background. Sometimes repeat images may be seen on multiple covers. This can be similar to the way that some songs appear on multiple albums but are different versions of each other. Though there is no direct answer as to why, I choose to believe the artist had come to perfect their songs over the years. Though now that they’ve stopped putting out any music that probably doesn’t mean that they’ve stopped trying to make musically. Hopefully, they’re just under a new alias I haven’t found yet waiting to release music. People take breaks and that is okay.
Searching through Crying’s discography, they haven’t released music since 2016. However, they’ve continued appearing on different projects. Additionally, one of their other members, uoou, released an album titled “Everything is Happening” back in 2021. The promotion for the album was their last Instagram post. Following this, the band went silent on all platforms. This is so sad because they still have a loyal fan base. Spotify has recognized them and placed them on popular playlists such as “Sad Girl Starter Pack,” “Lofi Indie,” and “Wine Bar.” I think that is probably why they’ve gathered more listeners. I don’t remember how I first heard of them.
Of course, I recommend them if you like low-key indie rock. But, when is the perfect time to listen to them? I have come to the conclusion that their music is best listened to in the cold, the dark, periods of isolation such as when you first wake up or when you’re studying.
When an artist creates solo projects, it adds a level of intimacy. While they are working on their regular projects they still feel the need to create more work to fulfill their self-expression. I am completely in support of this. I only wish Z Santos would release more projects under Whatever, Dad. Please, it was so good. It puts me to sleep in the best possible way. The artist has a voice perfect for ASMR which is complemented by the soft guitar often in the back. There are similar artists like Starry Cat, Michael Cera, Cyberbully Mom Club, Dandelion Hands, Lamp, and Ichiko Aoba that I also love that give this vibe but it is similar. It is not exact and that’s something great about music, every artist has something unique to share.
