March Music Writing Challenge Day 4: Dungeon Item

This was my first exposure to chiptune and now the stakes are nearly unreachable for other artists in this genre. Dungeon Items' album “Minus World” is a dive into eclectic sounds and distraught lyrics, a recipe for fantastic artistic expression. 

Dungeon Item is one of many killer bands signed to Kleptophase records, an independent label run by some of my favorite people in the scene.

Lyrics in the intro track of this album, Scuba, are some of my favorites on the record because of how incredibly relatable and heart-wrenching they are: “Oh, I know, I wanna change too / There’s something wrong with me / I know will never get fixed”. Those words just hit so hard and alongside the shiny chords it’s impossible for this song to not stick with you as a listener.

If you’re new to chiptune or even if you consider yourself an expert, I highly recommend listening to “Minus World” and maybe even supporting them through purchasing physical copies if you’re able! I personally have a cassette that I copped from the Kleptophase website when the album first dropped in February of 2024. Should there be any left in stock, you should definitely consider picking one up!

As far as I know, this album is the most recent release from Dungeon Item, but I am patiently awaiting the next batch of tunes with an eager smile on my face. Check out the music video for Scuba on YouTube and stream “Minus World” on Bandcamp, Apple Music, Spotify, and more!

Artist Links & Handles:

Bandcamp: https://williamwilliams.bandcamp.com/album/minus-world

IG: @dungeonitem

X: @dungeonitem