Dan Webb isn’t playing by the rules, and that’s exactly why his new single “The Self Watches Their Return (feat. Nicole McCabe)” hits so hard. The Australian composer and producer, now based out of Singapore, has put together a track that feels less like a standard song and more like a spiritual meltdown. It’s the final cut before his fifth album, Lion Dance, drops on November 13, and if this is the calm centre of the record, the rest of it must be a wild ride.
Webb didn’t just grab some random session players for this. He assembled a absolute monster squad. You’ve got Clive Deamer (Radiohead, Portishead) holding down the drums, Tim Lefebvre (David Bowie’s Blackstar) on bass, Nate Werth (Snarky Puppy) adding percussion, and Nicole McCabe ripping on the sax. These are heavyweights who know how to lock into a groove and let it breathe. You can feel the pedigree in every single note.
The track opens with a wild synth blast that practically rips a hole in the space-time continuum, and then it settles into this deliberate, hypnotic groove. The wildest part? There’s no verse, no chorus, no bridge. The entire thing moves between just two keys, locked in a constant dialogue. Deamer’s drumming is intense but controlled, Lefebvre’s bass moves with serious purpose, and Werth fills in all the gaps with texture. Webb floats his spacey electric keys underneath it all, building the tension until it explodes into a crescendo of crashing cymbals and massive tom fills. McCabe’s improvised sax comes soaring over the top, drifting away from the melody before snapping right back. It flows freely, but it never meanders.
Webb says this is the closest he’s come to spiritual jazz, but there’s a rock sensibility running through its veins. It’s got that downtime Pink Floyd vibe or the loose, exploratory feel of a Phish jam. The title comes from Laozi’s Tao Te Ching: “The ten thousand things rise and fall while the Self watches their return.” It’s about the cycle of life, death, and rebirth, shaped by his move from Melbourne to Singapore and steeped in Buddhist and Taoist thought. It’s the quiet, introspective stillness you find after the chaos of a rebirth.
Lion Dance is out November 13, bringing together musicians who have played with everyone from Prince to the Rolling Stones. If you want a track that rewards you for paying attention, Dan Webb has delivered something special with “The Self Watches Their Return (feat. Nicole McCabe)“.