Omnesia – “Dirty Love”

Omnesia call their thing “future vintage,” and it fits. The Oakland project built around androgynous vocalist Medella Kingston and producer/guitarist M2 treats rock history like a toy box: Zappa, new wave, MTV-era excess, and prog theatrics all thrown together and wired for 2026. For their take on Frank Zappa’s “Dirty Love,” they double down on that idea and pull in a small gang of ringers: Robert John Tucker on lead vocal and drums, Julie Slick on bass, and Anthony Parker on lead guitar.

This version opens on a little sci-fi prank: alien FX and a dog bark cut the silence, then a slab of guitar and synth drops in, already swinging. Tucker’s voice comes in right away, sharp and playful, sitting in that classic rock pocket where sleaze and showmanship blur together. A bright lead synth snakes through the mix, shadowing the riff and commenting on the vocal, while the rhythm section feels heavy and springy at the same time. Julie Slick’s low D on five-string bass gives the whole thing extra weight, so the groove stomps instead of just chugging along. In the middle section, Medella’s backing vocal slides in around Tucker’s lead, adding a sly, theatrical edge before Parker’s solo tears through with full arena-rock attitude. The original’s poodle jokes and kink stay intact; Omnesia just push the low end, the guitars, and the camp up a notch so it feels like late-night cable rock TV beamed in from a parallel ’80s.

For sync, this “Dirty Love” works in off-beat comedy and adult animation, retro-leaning drama, or any scene that leans into sleazy glamour: strip-mall neon, dive bars, motel parking lots, bad decisions in leather jackets. It’s especially strong for opening credits, character struts, vintage car sequences, or tongue-in-cheek montage cuts that need loud guitars, big attitude, and lyrics that don’t play safe.