Dustin “DAB” Bowie exudes sensuality on the hypnotic “RENDEZVOUS”

Reuniting with an old flame could bring up a litany of emotions: desire, uncertainty, excitement. Sometimes shame. Sometimes unbridled joy. Extra points if said flame is someone who doesn’t live in your city. Extra points squared if the reconnection happens on vacation. On his new single, "RENDEZVOUS" Dustin “DAB” Bowie revels in this sometimes-perfect storm.

DAB may only be on his second-ever solo single, but he’s become a mainstay in the R&B songwriting scene. Skyrocketing to new heights after securing a Grammy for his work on Beyoncé’s “Virgo’s Groove,” DAB is charting his own course with “RENDEZVOUS,” the sexy, sauntering follow-up to 2023’s “Fire x Fire.”

On his creative process, DAB says the music itself comes first: “I start with the beats, and I let the emotions I feel, the colours I imagine, guide the lyrics.” The energy of wherever the beat takes him then informs what comes next lyrically. “Sometimes a melody comes to mind, but it’s the drums, the energy of the music, that shapes where the song will go.”

DAB is known for his intricate compositions, and “RENDEZVOUS” is no different. The circling guitars, trancey basslines, and smooth, pulsing backbeat set the song in a world of decadence and excess, both sonically and thematically. Trombonist Jeffrey Miller adds slides and solos that compliment the song’s inherent intimacy, making the whole thing feel very jazz-meets-R&B-meets-soul-meets the smallest bit of trap. The instrumentals swell and fade throughout the track, toying with the reverb to create moments of massive depth followed by bits of isolation. The song’s continued builds and releases of tension add to the desire being expressed in the lyrics, creating overwhelming waves of both emotion and sound.

“RENDEZVOUS” features hazy French whispers (“Dites-moi, qu’est-ce que tu veux ce soir? / Tell me, what do you want tonight?”) that weave through the opening layers of guitar riffs, and return between verses. Ending with a sweeping trombone solo from Miller that peters out until the final seconds evokes imagery of the pair escaping deep into the night.

On “RENDEZVOUS,” DAB creates a fully immersive blend of jazz and funk, leaning into elevated R&B that caters to all the senses.