Onedaybear Turns Personal Struggles Into Quirky Indie Pop With “Curry Dom Jolly”
‘Behind the jokes about curry and comfort food, ‘Curry Dom Jolly’ is a very genuine thank you to the little companion who was there when things got tough.’ Some songs get under your skin because of the sound of them, others because of the story they tell. onedaybear (Manchester) has pulled both of those elements together in a rather unusual, funny and unexpectedly personal way with “Curry Dom Jolly”. The track is due out 21st October 2026 and is a song about a love of food which becomes a song about difficult times, about things not going to plan and about the comfort of having someone there when things aren’t going well. The track is based on onedaybear’s own experience over the last couple of years. An injury has been a real source of frustration, along with some significant weight gain and changes to his life in general. Rather than go all in with a serious approach to it, he’s found the humour in the whole thing. Curry is the object of a complete and total obsession in the song, with references to fish and chips, vindaloo and sashimi all contributing to the song’s utterly bizarre character. “Being fat isn’t easy / Fish and chips with lemon squeezy” is the perfect encapsulation of that. It’s cheeky, it’s straightforward and it’s absolutely unapologetic about laughing at the situation. There’s something really refreshing about a songwriter who can take a personal pain and turn it into something that you can actually chuckle about without in any way losing the emotion of the situation.
One of the song’s real strengths is the hook, “Curry Dom Jolly / Carry Me Home”. The wordplay is very catchy and the repetition is absolutely perfect for the style of the writing. There’s a meaning to the chorus which is far more than just the words themselves though. It’s addressed to Norman, one day bear’s cat, who was there for him through a very difficult time. It’s a much warmer side of the song. What at first appears to be a rather cheeky song about comfort food becomes in fact a song of thanks to a very faithful friend. The contrast between the silly verses and the more heartfelt message in the chorus is what gives the single its character. The recording is also a very good example of one day bear’s own approach to making music. It’s a bedroom recording, written, recorded and produced by the artist in Peak Forest, Derbyshire. It’s very much the sound of a bedroom pop record, with the addition of guest vocals from THEIA. Gethin Pearson does the mixing and Steven Kerry the mastering. Gethin’s credits include work with Jaws, Funeral for a Friend, Charli XCX and Orla Gartland so it’s a very experienced pair of hands behind the mix and mastering. The end result is a very polished record that still has the very real sense of it being a bedroom record.
Since launching the project in 2022 onedaybear has developed an approach that is very much one of individuality and a readiness to go down strange paths. The influences are all over the place (Fontaines D.C., Hobo Johnson, The Lovemakers, MF DOOM, Petey etc) and that gives you a sense of the breadth of the musical world that he’s operating in. “Curry Dom Jolly” though is very much its own thing in that it’s about the ability to take a very awkward period of your life and turn it into a piece of music which doesn’t take itself too seriously. Ultimately “Curry Dom Jolly” works because there’s a genuine story underneath all the ridiculousness. The food references are the source of the humour, the hook sticks in your mind and Norman provides the emotional core for the chorus. Onedaybear is a reminder that you don’t always have to go all out with your emotions when facing up to a difficult experience. Sometimes you just need to chuckle and sometimes a simple song is just a way of saying “thank you” to the mate who’s always been there for you.
English