Doctor Tongue unleash a funk-rock anthem that shoots for the stars with their new single and video Higher — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Hamilton’s most lovable weirdos blend funk, rock, alternative, and soul with a poet’s heart and a glam-rock glint in the eye on their latest release. Higher is both a celebration of fantasy and a hard stare into the mirror. It’s seductive, surreal and surprisingly heartfelt — like if Prince, Parliament and the ghost of Carl Jung all split a cab home from band practice.
“We can get high, we can get high, we can get higher,” sings frontman George Panagopoulos, as the band launch into a full-bodied groove laced with cinematic flair and off-kilter sensuality. But this isn’t just about getting lit — it’s about rising, about claiming joy, about choosing wonder over numbness in a world designed to flatten you. “It’s a big sweaty hug of a song,” says George. “But it’s also about those strange moments when you’re standing in the shadow of a dying star, wondering who you are.”
Higher is the band’s seventh single and a defining piece of their upcoming debut album, 3D House of Mayhem, due in June. The lyrics play like a series of fever dreams: “You can Kama Sutra, I can instant cream / We can find each other on the silver screen / You’ll be Cleopatra, I’ll be James Dean…” It’s chaotic, cinematic, oddly romantic — and completely Doctor Tongue.
Formed in the twilight of the pandemic, Doctor Tongue made their debut in 2022 at Come Together Music Festival in Durham. Not long after, tragedy struck when founding guitarist Dylan Matthews passed away. Many bands would have retreated. Tongue doubled down. “Dylan’s death was shattering,” George reflects. “But he’s become our fuel. Everything we do now is in his honour. Every gig, every groove — it’s for him.”
The current lineup includes Mark McMaster on drums, Tom Bigas on percussion, Johnny Nixon on guitar, Liam Brown on bass, and co-writer Jethro Mann on guitar and vocals. Each member brings a kaleidoscope of musical influences, from hip-hop to soul to gritty garage rock. What ties them together isn’t genre — it’s energy, raw and real, and a shared refusal to play by the music industry’s algorithmic rules.
“Doctor Tongue is a flagrant revolution against the Plinko board that the music industry has become,” the band says. “While algorithms try to isolate and define you, we’ve evolved to break free.” And it’s working. With six previous singles and over 300,000 streams under their belt, they’ve built a cult following the old-fashioned way — song by song, show by show, soul by soul.
A band built for the stage, Doctor Tongue have earned a reputation for sweat-soaked, euphoric live shows that blend musicality with theatricality. The band’s last club gig sent bar sales through the roof. “It’s a strange energy that takes over,” they say. “Everyone wants to celebrate.”
Higher was recorded with the same ferocious spontaneity the band brings to their live sets. “We don’t overthink it,” says George. “We let the song lead us. We let the weirdness in. We let ourselves be real. Higher came together like a dream you don’t fully understand but somehow remember forever.”
Watch the video for Higher above, hear more from Doctor Tongue below, and get the cure for what ails you on their website, Facebook and Instagram.
