The way Two Feet seamlessly blends blues, jazz, and soul with his electronic sound can be attributed to the influences of the cultural hub that is his home base: Harlem, New York. Bill Dess, better known by his stage name, Two Feet, broke out into the indie music scene seemingly overnight. His viral track, “Go F*ck Yourself” earned him 8 million SoundCloud plays and the attention of indie electronic label and YouTube giant, Majestic Casual. With Majestic Casual, Dess released his debut EP, First Steps, and soon after, signed on with Republic Records.
With First Steps, Dess traveled the U.S., making a few stops in Austin to play the city’s most iconic festivals: South by Southwest and Austin City Limits. But, he didn’t do much sightseeing when he was here, he explained in an interview with ANCHR Magazine last year. The touring band’s days at SXSW were dedicated to playing shows and taking notes on what went well and what didn’t– devoting most their time to performances and how to improve them. But during any free time, Two Feet and his team could be found walking around downtown, “eating tacos and go to bars,” which, in the end, is the most authentic way to experience Austin.
In late 2017, Dess released his most successful single yet, “I Feel Like I’m Drowning,” which peaked at the #10 spot on Billboard’s Hot Rock Songs chart early this year. There’s a stark difference between the sound of Two Feet’s breakout tracks and his latest releases. According to Dess, his second EP will be an expansion of the first, with a stronger focus on “songwriting,” as opposed to First Steps’ dedicated focus to “beat-making.” The EP is being released in two parts, two songs at a time.
You can find Two Feet this summer billed alongside some big names as he travels the North American festival circuit, playing Chicago’s iconic Lollapalooza Music Festival, as well as Electric Forest, Osheaga, and more. Be sure to check out his latest release, “Same old Song (S.O.S. Part 1),” on Spotify and Apple Music.
