It’s unusual and a little whimsical, but that’s certainly not out of character for L.A-based songwriter Dino DiMuro who cites Frank Zappa as one of his major influences. 

Beetle’s Secret Pack starts with a casual tumble over tom and snare drum that places it imperiously somewhere in late-80’s electronic pop rock before it’s joined ceremoniously by bulbous sitar-esque guitars and rhythmic otherworldly keyboards that give the track a mystifying texture. 

For the briefest moment, we can’t help but find the gleeful key patterns reminiscent of Schroeder from our beloved childhood gangle of pals, The Peanuts. It allows a breathtaking space for a nostalgic twist in this quirky instrumental composition.

The track then takes a sudden intergalactic turn, hurtling us through time itself and into the vastness of the galaxy in which we reside. It’s a combination of the oscillating bounce of the bass as it intertwines itself across the striking synths and the scurry of the guitars lead runs that seem to push this track faster and faster with each passing moment. It would appear we’re in a hurry, but not in such a hurry that we’re not keen to peer out the windows to take in the flurry of the cosmos that encases us.

Out of the corner’s dart out anxious strings at uncertain intervals, heeding us cautiously further through this spiraling rabbit hole that is full of surprises. Like moths to a flame we find ourselves quickly at the end of our adventure when another one of DiMuro’s unmistakable specialties comes in to summarize the experience. 

“Oh how I hope to go,” the voice says as the music comes to a sudden halt. 

With it we gain a new perspective to sit and dwell on for the remainder of our otherwise uneventful day. In less than 2 minutes and 40 seconds and 6 simple words placed perfectly at the outset DiMuro has once again given us the gift of modest reflection and marvelous introspection. 

If Beetle’s Secret Pact were an allegory on life itself, its sheer speed and sudden untimely end, then full of joyous surprises as its composition provoked is how we hope to view our own at the end. 

Beetle’s Secret Pact is a collaboration between Dino DiMuro and The Civil Union and featured on Dino’s upcoming album Heatstroke Alley. 

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