Dbldbl's 'Hotcakes' turned chronically-online rage into hand-painted cut paper

'Hotcakes' is Dbldbl's (Liam Dargaville, Te Rarawa, Ngā Puhi) first release in two years, made with co-producer BJ Leo and support from NZ On Air, out via Sunreturn.

Animator Ross Ozarka built the clip from hand-painted cut paper with artwork by Tim Dustow, translating the track's ping-ponging wordplay — including fond props to Chlöe Swarbrick, Zeus Dupree and Ché-Fu — to the screen.

Dbldbl's first new release in two years arrived on major streaming platforms via Sunreturn, with a video the artist says 'really nailed the brief'; no view counts were reported.

Undertheradar reported on October 1, 2026 that Dbldbl — Tāmaki Makaurau rap innovator Liam Dargaville (Te Rarawa, Ngā Puhi), these days based in Bangkok — released 'Hotcakes', his first new music in two years, co-produced with BJ Leo and released via Sunreturn with support from NZ On Air.

The track's seed was planted in lockdown, when 'hot takes from the mundane to the absurd were flying around pretty willy-nilly'; its second half paints Dargaville's own flavour of 'losing my mind' in that period, delivered as ping-ponging wordplay roasting perpetually online commenters, with nods to Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick, globe-trotting compadre Zeus Dupree and Ché-Fu.

Ross Ozarka's video translates the rhymes to the screen via patiently animated, hand-painted cut paper, with artwork by Tim Dustow. Dargaville says the long gap was a blessing: 'Otherwise, I might not have gone the animated route, an' I couldn't picture it looking any other way. Ross really nailed the brief on this one.'

The video's craft is the concept: the loudest, angriest subject on the internet rendered in the softest, most handmade medium available.

The artist credits the two-year delay for the animation pivot, making patience part of the work's story.

NZ On Air support and a named animator placed a niche rap release inside a proper produced music video.

Delay can be a production advantage: a track shelved for two years escaped its original form and found the one visual language — cut paper — that matched its temperature.

As of the October 2026 release, 'Hotcakes' was streaming on major platforms via Sunreturn, with Dargaville publicly recommending viewers hire Ozarka.