B-Side Guys

Distance shapes perspective. On “Heritage,” R Doradus—the remote collaboration between former Death by Armborst bandmates Fabian Brusk Jahn and Oscar Berg—transforms physical separation into creative advantage, crafting a meditation on legacy that feels both intensely personal and universally resonant.

The track opens with cinematic immediacy: “Lights flashing by / In the glimpse of an eye / We’re something new / Remembering youth.” These juxtaposed images—forward motion coupled with backward glance—establish the song’s central tension between creating future and honoring past. The arrangement supports this duality through its blend of propulsive rhythm and contemplative melody, creating forward momentum that somehow feels reflective rather than urgent.

What elevates “Heritage” beyond standard indie rock nostalgia is its exploration of parenthood as both continuation and disruption of generational patterns. When Berg sings, “I keep the stories of what could become / I tell them to myself when darkness comes / I share them with you when you’re feeling alone,” the “you” shifts from abstract to specific—a child receiving narrative inheritance. This thematic precision reflects the “mature, well-arranged” sound the band self-describes, suggesting that fifteen years of separation have provided crucial perspective.

The chorus delivers both emotional payoff and philosophical statement: “Oh son go get your own / Chase down them fairytales and hold on / I swear them nights will be yours / Just find a little cause.” Here, R Doradus captures parenthood’s fundamental paradox—simultaneously providing roots and encouraging flight. The restrained instrumentation during these lines creates space for this complexity, allowing the words to register with appropriate weight.

Mid-song, the perspective shifts subtly but significantly from “what could become” to “what could have been,” suggesting that transmission of wisdom necessarily involves acknowledgment of one’s own unfulfilled possibilities. This emotional honesty grounds the track in lived experience rather than idealized sentiment, particularly when followed by the confession, “I share them with me when the clouds roll in.”

The production aesthetics indeed recall The War on Drugs’ atmospheric expansiveness and The National’s emotional precision, but the band transforms these influences into something distinctly their own. The repeated closing refrain—”We’re hiding all the same / Being a part of a different game”—achieves a hypnotic quality that suggests universal human experience beneath individualized narratives.

“Heritage” establishes R Doradus as a project where distance serves content—two “sleep-deprived parents” separated by geography but connected through shared musical language and life stage. Their long-distance arrangement mirrors the song’s thematic preoccupation with connection across space and time, creating remarkable congruence between creation method and emotional content.